I hope you’re sitting comfortably. If not grab a drink, dim the lights and move the laptop to the sofa because you’re going to be spending the next 22 minutes in Great Depression era USA, with the captivating performers of the renowned Butterfly Circus.
Put together by long term creative team Joshua (writer/director/producer) and Rebekah Weigel (writer/producer), The Butterfly Circus tells the story of Will (Nick Vujicic), a limbless man condemned to life as a carnival sideshow spectacle. Ridiculed by visitors and mistreated by the sideshow ringmaster, he makes a break for a better life with the Butterfly Circus, but has to find his way towards self-acceptance before he can truly claim his place.
Filmed on the Red One over 12 days by a cast and crew of over 150 people, The Butterfly Circus is a sumptuous piece of filmmaking that scooped the $100,000 grand prize at the Doorpost Film Project last year and saw lead actor Nick Vujicic pick up Best Actor at Method Fest. It would have been easy for this ‘believe in yourself’ tale to tip into mawkishness, but thankfully Weigel sidesteps that trap and instead delivers a truly convincing piece of cinema. Even better is the news that this isn’t the end of the road for The Butterfly Circus with a feature length version of the film currently in the works. For now, consider the short below as a self contained warm up for the extravaganza to follow.
