The Butterfly from Ural

Infobox_film | name = The Butterfly from Ural


caption =
director = Katariina Lillqvist
writer =
starring =
producer =
distributor =
released = 2008
runtime = 27 min
language = Finnish
imdb_id = 1207784

"The Butterfly from Ural" [cite web |url=http://www.tamperefilmfestival.fi/2008/fin/voittajat2008.htm |title=Awarded Films at Tampere Film Festival 2008 |accessdate=2008-09-26 |work= |publisher=Tampere Film Festival |date=2008-03-09 ] or "Far Away from Ural" [cite web |url=http://www.ses.fi/en/news_news.asp?id=2371 |title=Finnish animation industry strongly present in Annecy, France |accessdate=2008-09-26 |work= |publisher=The Finnish Film Foundation |date=2008-06-05 ] ( _fi. Uralin perhonen) is a Finnish 2008 animated short film directed by Katariina Lillqvist.

The film tells a story of former President of Finland Carl Gustav Mannerheim – although his name is not mentioned in the film – on a journey to Kyrgyzstan where he meets a young Kyrgyz boy. Mannerheim takes the boy with him back to Finland where he names him Butterfly. The boy becomes Mannerheim's servant and lover. When the Finnish Civil War starts, Mannerheim abandons his lover in the middle of the battlefield. According to the director Lillqvist, the film is based on a folklore about a butterfly from Ural, told in the Pispala district of Tampere [cite web |url=http://www.katariinalillqvist.com/uralinperhonen.htm |title=Uralin Perhonen |accessdate= |work= |publisher=Katariina Lillqvist |date= |language=Finnish] .

The film caused a fuss in the Finnish media and evoked discussion about the limits of the freedom of speech and the sexual orientation of Mannerheim. It was nominated the best domestic animation at the Tampere Film Festival in March 2008, and was broadcast by YLE the same month.

References