Cinedigm just announced the acquisition of the weird indie film Giving Birth to Butterfly by also releasing the first trailer for its streaming release on Fandor. The haunting and surreal debut feature from director Theodore Schaefer premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival and is set to hit select U.S. theaters this May before premiering digitally.
The film follows the journey of a suburban mom (Annie Parisse, “Friends from College”) and her son’s pregnant girlfriend (Gus Birney, “Shining Vale”) as they embark on a dreamlike road trip to track down the culprits who stole the mother’s identity. Shot dynamically on pastel-hued 16mm film, this visually immersive and empowering cult classic in the making is an intelligent meditation on the faceless underbelly of American life.
Described by The Austin Chronicle as “a strange and fragile story of family, identity, and the unlikely directions of a search for self,” Giving Birth to a Butterfly “mixes melancholy and anxiety with a Lynchian touch” (The Film Stage) and “takes place in a parallel universe that looks and acts like suburbia, just ever so slightly off” (The A.V. Club).
The film also boasts an impressive cast, including Paul Sparks (“Boardwalk Empire”), Owen Campbell (X), Jessica Pimentel (“Orange is the New Black”), and Judith Roberts (You Were Never Really Here), with co-writing credits going to Schaefer and Patrick Lawler.
“I’m honored that Giving Birth to a Butterfly will be added to the stellar slate of films Cinedigm and Fandor have been curating,” said director Theodore Schaefer. “It’s clear they have an incisive, discerning eye into the American independent landscape, and I can’t think of a better home for our film.”
Aaron Hillis, Director of Programming for Cinedigm, praised the film, stating, “Tapping into a nervous dream logic that still resembles the mad world we exist in, Giving Birth to a Butterfly is one of the most cine-literate American debuts I’ve seen in a while. Ted Schaefer is clearly a movie nut who understands both the mechanics and pleasures of genre storytelling.”
Giving Birth to Butterfly premiers in movie theatres, followed by an exclusive streaming debut on Fandor May 16th, 2023
Watch the trailer for ‘Giving Birth to a Butterfly’ Here:
