“Don’t Cry, Butterfly” byDương Diệu Linhawarded the Grand Prize at the 39th Settimana Internazionale della Critica!
The entire LIM team was thrilled when the results of the Critics’ Week were announced. The international jury of the parallel section of the Venice International Film Festival chose to honor “an intimate and visionary film [and] a bittersweet story about family, set within four walls that become a powerful metaphor for contemporary society,” as described by the Critics’ Week’s artistic director, Beatrice Fiorentino.
The film, produced by Singapore-based Momo Film Co. in collaboration with Adeline Arts & Science, Fusee, Potato Productions, KawanKawan Media, Pupa Films, and Kalei Films, participated in LIM in 2021. According to ScreenDaily, it is “an energetically confounding mix of genre: comedy, fantasy, and a touch of horror.”
The story follows Tam, a diligent wedding venue staffer, who discovers her husband’s affair on live TV. Rather than confronting him, she enlists a powerful spell master to win back his love. Tam’s daughter, Ha, pours her frustration into vivid fantasies of a brighter future abroad. Meanwhile, a mysterious House Spirit, visible only to the women, lurks beneath their cracked, leaky ceiling.
Watch the official trailer here.
Our joy was further enhanced by the world premiere of “Little Jaffna” from French director Lawrence Valin, which closed the Venice Critics’ Week. Lawrence, who was part of Le Groupe Ouest’s Annual Selection, the programme supporting francophone feature films, offers a fresh and bold first feature. As Cineuropa notes, “Lawrence Valin blends police infiltration with a deep dive into Paris’s Tamil community in a refreshing and audacious first feature film.”
Both films are featured at the Toronto International Film Festival in the coming days. We wish them the same success!