Lullaby of the butterfly
Lullaby of the butterfly (2014) | 20min. | Cyprus | drama
Written, directed and produced by Tonia Mishiali
Following a mysterious phone call, a woman grabs a kitchen knife and sets out on a journey to an unknown destination, leaving ‘her life’ behind.
Synopsis
A woman receives a mysterious phone call; that same night she has trouble sleeping, tormented with thoughts. Early the next day she abandons her house and sets out on a journey to an unknown destination, carrying a kitchen knife in her bag. After driving all day, she parks her car at a remote location and waits for someone… something… in the middle of the night…
Poster design by Anna Fotiadou
Awards | Festivals
LULLABY OF THE BUTTERFLY has been officially selected in more than 30 International Film Festivals worldwide and has won 2 awards.
Press the MORE AWARDS & FESTIVALS button below to see the complete list.
A Word From The Director
A friend told me a true story about an incident concerning a burning social issue, an issue that troubles society globally. This was my inspiration to write “Lullaby of the butterfly”.
The protagonist is a dynamic woman, whose strong need for something is responsible for her engagement in a strange and mysterious situation. A stranger, who communicates with her by phone, seems to be giving her instructions which she follows with secrecy, fear and anxiety. But she doesn’t give up as this great desire of hers, makes her defy any potential danger and ignore all the possible consequences of her actions. So, she leaves everything behind in her life and travels to the ‘world of unlawfulness’, finally reaching her destination and doing what she set out to. Everything is revealed at the end of the film…
I am very lucky to have had the support of so many film professionals and companies. This film would not have been possible without the professionalism of every single member of the cast, the crew, the sponsors, the supporters and the co-production companies.
I was very fortunate to work with Alexia Vassiliou, a great musician and performer, a wonderful person, whose music was also the inspiration for this film. I have listened to Alexia’s work for years, especially her voice improvisations, and have always wanted to work with her. So when I was writing “Lullaby of the butterfly” I could almost hear her voice accompanying the protagonist of the film. And because this film has a very “organic” feel, almost like Alexia’s work, I was sure I had to contact her. When I did, Alexia was so positive that everything worked out beautifully… and we had a wonderful cooperation!
As far as the mood of the film is concerned, the camera work and the extreme close-ups, I knew from the beginning that the DOP of the film had to love to work with a handheld camera! So George Rahmatoulin came in the picture, who I hadn’t worked with before, but after talking for a bit about the film he immediately got what I wanted to do with the film. So we started working on the film and decided to go with the Blackmagic Camera as it would give us a more 16mm look on the image, something that fit exactly the mood and style of “Lullaby of the butterfly”.

In the Press
Credits
WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER Tonia Mishiali
CAST Alexia Charalambidou, Yiannis Kokkinos, Andreas Tselepos, Fivos Georgiades, Demás Demosthenous
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Yorgos Rahmatoulin
ART DIRECTOR Andy Bargilly
ORIGINAL MUSIC BY Alexia Vassiliou
PRODUCTION MANAGER Christopher Malapitan
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Andreas Kyriakou
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Christos Georghiades
SCRIPT SUPERVISOR Paris El-Said
SOUND RECORDING Marios Violaris
WARDROBE Thelma Cassoulidou
MAKE-UP Yvonne Kollesides
KEY HAIR STYLIST Marios Neofytou
COLOUR GRADING & DCP Panicos Petrides (Full Moon Productions)
SOUND DESIGN & AUDIO POST-PRODUCTION Christodoulos Procopiou
Equipment Provided By A.B. Seahorse Film Production, Yorgos Rahmatoulin, Nikolas Koumides, G.T. Generators




