Where Butterflies Perish

An isolated artist is confronted with the news of the end of the world, which leads him to come face to face with painful memories, remorse and a familiar desire to end his delusional life. His last moments are documented in a broken narrative that navigates between reality, madness and dreams within a world which seems to have been carefully crafted by this enigmatic man’s most tormented thoughts and his unknown past.

Written & Directed by: Fauze Hassen
Starring: Akende Munalula
With: Flora Mai
And the voice of: Chrystel Halais
Additional Voice Over: Stewart Pedley
Cinematography by: Grégoire Aubourg
VFX Artist: Kasun Ilesinghe
Sound Engineer: Miller Yule
Film Editor: Fauze Hassen
Colourist: Grégoire Aubourg
Produced by: Fauze Hassen, Grégoire Aubourg and Akende Munalula
Original Score: Fauze Hassen
Additional Music by: Let’s Go Descarrego
Post Production Facility: 99

Where Butterflies Perish is a micro-budget short-film, which relies on poetry and experimental narrative to tell the story of an artist, played by the great Zambian actor Akende Munalula, who is dealing with the news of the end of the world as he recollects his mysterious past. This film was made by a group of artists in each of their fields, whose passion about film-making and dedication made it possible. I am proud of this film and I would love to have more people watch it. People to whom I have shown this film so far on private screenings, have felt a deep connection to the world created in the story and were really moved by it in the end. This is a statement to independent auteur filmmaking.
My name is Fauze Hassen, I am an artist, poet and film-maker from Brazil based in New Zealand since 2011.