Papillon

Butterfly | Schmetterling
A man swims in the sea. As he does so, memories come flooding back. From his early childhood to his adult life, all the memories are connected to water. Some are happy, some glorious, some traumatic. This story will be the story of his last swim. It will take us from the source to the river – from the waters of childhood paddling pools to those of swimming baths, from a North African country to the shores of the Mediterranean, from Olympic stadia to reservoirs, from concentration camps to the paradise beaches of Réunion.
by Florence Miailhe
with Fayçal Zafi, Yassine Mestaoui, Alexandre Liebe, Johannes Olivier Hamm, Hocine Ben, Olivier Peissel
France 2024 French, Arabic, German 15’ World premiere | Animation recommendation: 12 years and up

With

  • Fayçal Zafi (Alfred Nakache)
  • Yassine Mestaoui (Young Alfred Nakache)
  • Alexandre Liebe (Sport commentator)
  • Johannes Olivier Hamm (Sport commentator)
  • Hocine Ben (Sport commentator)
  • Olivier Peissel (Sport commentator)

Crew

Director Florence Miailhe
Screenplay Florence Miailhe
Cinematography Florence Miailhe
Editing Nassim Gordji-Tehrani
Music Pierre Oberkampf
Sound Design Pierre Oberkampf
Sound Pierre Oberkampf
Production Design Florence Miailhe
Casting Marie Bureau
Animation Florence Miailhe, Aurore Peuffier, Chloé Sorin
Producer Ron Dyens
Co-Producer Luc Camilli
Co-Production XBO Films Toulouse

Produced by

Florence Miailhe

Born in 1956, the animation director studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des arts décoratifs in Paris. Since the creation of her first short film Hammam in 1991, she has developed a very unique style of animation using paint, pastel or sand to create her films. Her work has won awards at prestigious film festivals around the world.

Filmography

1991 Hammam; short film 1993 Scheherazade; short film 1996 Histoire d’un prince devenu borgne et mendiant; short film 2002 Au premier dimanche d’août (A Summer Night Rendez Vous); short film · Les oiseaux blancs, les oiseaux noirs (White Birds, Black Birds); short film 2009 Matière à rêver (The Texture of Dreams); short film 2005 Conte de quartier (Urban Tale); short film 2013 Méandres (Meanders); short film 2021 La Traversée (The Crossing) 2024 Papillon (Butterfly); short film

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2024