Ikiru Films (“Bruc-The Manhunt”), Tinglado Film (“Ona”) and Anangu Grup are readying “Black Butterflies” (“Mariposas Negras”), an animated climate exodus film three years in the making that illustrates the journey of three women fleeing uninhabitable terrain towards new lives that prove far from welcoming. The trials and tribulations of each are brought to life by 2D renderings.
“I’m thrilled to be producing David Baute’s “Black Butterflies” with Tinglado Film, Anangu Grup and Tunche Films. It’s a global tale necessary to relay, with the focus placed on people whose tragedies are largely unknown to our society,” asserted Ikiru Films founder, Edmon Roch.
Sharing an exclusive first look image with Variety, he adds, “The World Bank projects that climate change will drive 143 million people in Latin America, Africa, and South Asia alone to leave their homes by 2050. Most of them come from poor regions that have contributed little to global warming. Our film sheds light on this dramatic reality.”
The script, penned by Liza Berrocal based on Baute’s live-action doc, “Climate Exodus,” is brought to life through images that represent each woman, inspired by original paintings from the regions they depict – the Caribbean, India, and the Turkana. Art direction is led by María Pulido (“Ámome”) with José Sanchez Alonso (“Run Ozzy Run”) serving as the director of animation. The score is composed by Diego Navarro (“Door Of Time”).
“From an artistic point of view, we try to digest the whole of the story to tell it in the most direct and elegant way, so that it doesn’t take anything away from the true narrative but accompanies it, as if the colors were a melody to modulate the dramatic intensity,” Pulido relays.
The project was co-produced by Tunche Films (“Ainbo: Spirit Of The Amazon”) in conjunction with ICAA, ICEC, the government of the Canary Islands, the participation of TVC and Televisión Canaria, and support from Mogambo and National Geographic.
Aptly inviting further dialogue around climate change and global warming, the film is set for release in 2024.