Butterfly
2025 | 15m | French
Popularity: 2 (history)
| Director: | Florence Miailhe |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Florence Miailhe |
| Staring: |
| A Jewish North African middle-aged man's swim in the sea triggers memories of his earlier life as a professional swimmer during World War II. | |
| Release Date: | May 15, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Florence Miailhe |
| Writer: | Florence Miailhe |
| Genres: | Animation, Drama, History |
| Keywords | world war ii, antisemitism, swimmer, discrimination, hand painted animation, ww2, wwii |
| Production Companies | Sacrebleu Productions, XBO films |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Mar 13, 2026 Entered: Jan 22, 2026 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Fayçal Zafi | Alfred Nakache (voice) |
| Jessica Jaouiche | Paule Nakache (voice) |
| Yassine Mestaoui | Young Alfred Nakache (voice) |
| Alexandre Liebe | Sports Commentator (voice) |
| Johannes Oliver Hamm | Sports Commentator (voice) |
| Hocine Ben | Sports Commentator / Police Officer / Soldier (voice) |
| Olivier Peissel | Sports Commentator / Police Officer / Soldier (voice) |
| Foued Kemeche | Coach (voice) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Florence Miailhe | Production Design, Writer, Director |
| Marie Bureau | Casting |
| Nassim Gordji-Tehrani | Editor |
| Pierre Oberkampf | Sound Designer, Original Music Composer |
| Guillaume Hoenig | Director of Photography |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Ron Dyens | Producer |
| Luc Camilli | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| 2024 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| 2024 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2024 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2024 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2024 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2024 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2026 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 2026 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| 2026 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | 397 | 751 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 488 | 749 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 197 | 622 |
There’s a really quite sad story contained within this short, sketch-style, animation. It’s inspired by the life of Alfred Nakache. He was a French Algerian, dark skinned and Jewish swimmer who just happened to be at the top of his game just as the munificence of National Socialism was extending thr ... oughout Europe. Initially his fellow competitors rally around as he becomes the victim of discrimination, but as that becomes more enshrined in law he, his wife and child have to resort to desperate measures to stay safe. When these don’t work, the war duly takes it’s toll. Against a backdrop of his constant swimming, we learn much about this young man - originally afraid of water, of his family and of his ultimate situation and by using the constant presence of water throughout, we are shown some of the joys and menace that have followed his life. Even a portentous Swastika makes an appearance. His swimming stroke is the butterfly, but perhaps there is something of the chrysalis about the man’s tale?