"Butterfly Boy" MFA Thesis Film

A NYFA Master's Thesis Film, written/directed by Anna Buksowicz.

Story

"Butterfly Boy" is a melancholic, coming-of-age drama film, discussing toxic masculinity and the stigmatization of young men in musical theater. Separated into acts and closing with an orchestral performance, the film follows 12-year-old Leon; a confident ray of light, who challenges his Polish immigrant Father’s imposed standards of masculinity as he discovers his passion for musical theater.

Director's Statement

Growing up on the outskirts of Warszawa, Poland, people didn't think I was serious when I said I wanted to direct movies. There is no clear path to becoming a film director, as there is to becoming a doctor or business consultant. Looking back, I just wish I had the confidence to start making films sooner. "Butterfly Boy" is based on my personal experiences with insecurities and the fear of 'not being good enough' to succeed in the creative industry. It asks the question, "What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?"

Despite the gender difference, I find a lot of myself in Leon, the protagonist. Leon is the son of a Polish immigrant to suburban Southern California, who dreams of things larger than he sees in his everyday life. He is an imperfect, but beautiful and realistic, three-dimensional character. I believe it’s beautiful to see children follow their passions, and observe the special kind of spark they get in their eyes when they are doing something that brings them joy. Through the lens of a father-son relationship, the film details the importance of empathetic & supportive parenting to a kid's quality of life.

Set in 2004 America, the film follows Polish film conventions of color grading and production design. The film is nostalgic for an 'elsewhere' - perhaps it is Poland, perhaps America. I want to make a film that pays tribute to both of the cultures I've grown up with. Most importantly, "Butterfly Boy" is a love letter to the juxtaposition of Eastern-Western cultures.

Style

"Butterfly Boy" will emphasize Polish film conventions of color grading and production design.

The film will be shot in a 4:3 aspect ratio, symbolic of the claustrophobic environment our protagonist is trapped in. I want the audience to experience Leon's world with him, with attention to production design and acoustic effects. The camera will breathe through his beats.

This is a period piece, taking place in the early 2000s, and our incredible Production Designer is working to select appropriate props and set dressing to fit the time.

Where We Are Now

"Butterfly Boy" is currently in month six of pre-production! Production will begin in mid-April in the Los Angeles area. We will be shooting the film primarily in a single-family home and a performing arts theatre, on an 8K RED cinema camera. Our cast/crew largely consists of international filmmaking students. This being an international story, we value their hard work and are excited to showcase their talent.

We are currently looking for fiscal donations, investors, and product sponsorship opportunities for our film. For more information, please reach out to writer/director Anna Buksowicz.

Why We Need Your Help

We are hoping to raise min. $6,000 to create this film. Your contribution will help us to:

How You Can Help

Support our campaign! Any donation (even $10!) goes a long way.

We are specifically open to working with Performing Arts Institutions, as this is a pro-theatre film. Please reach out to for promotion in our film!

Distribution Plan

Post-production will begin in the summer of 2023 and we will have the final product of "Butterfly Boy" by the fall of 2023.

We want our film to be SEEN, and that means screening at international film festivals, including Slamdance Film Festival, Holly Shorts Film Festival, Raindance Film Festival, and Fantasia Film Festival. We are working with a film festival advisor to manage submissions. We want to prioritize festivals that have an impact, presence in the film market, and emphasize female directors and non-binary talent.

Target Audience

This is a film intended to inspire the audience to fearlessly follow their dreams. As a coming-of-age drama, "Butterfly Boy" will move teens and young adults (13-25) to take courageous steps when pursuing their dreams, and their parents (45-60) to support their kids in doing so.

TW: vulgar language, emotional violence.

Crew Bios

Writer/Director - Anna 'Ania' Buksowicz

Anna (Ania) Buksowicz is a 24-year-old Polish writer/director based in Los Angeles. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Filmmaking at NYFA, where she is inspired by interpersonal, neo-realist, coming-of-age dramas that empower marginalized voices and portray strong female characters. Anna says like her, her films are observant of the significance of small details.

Having grown up in Warsaw, Poland, and completed her undergraduate business degree at McGill University in Montreal, Ania implements an empathetic, and cosmopolitan point-of-view to her projects. She has gained experience within the film and advertising industries through interning at Publicis Media, Dulcedo Management, the British Journal of Photography, and working as Assistant Production Coordinator for Watchout Studio on “Prime Time” (Grand Jury Prize nominee at 2021 Sundance Film Festival). Her debut short film “Lucy”, starring Sofia Masson, was nominated for Best Canadian Short Film at the 2020 UWPG Film Festival.

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/annabuksowicz/

Vimeo - https://vimeo.com/user124236211

Director of Photography - Devansh Neekhra

Devansh Neekhra is a 24-year-old cinematographer, whose journey of falling in love with cinematography began at the young age of 6. An early diagnosis of dyslexia made him curious about creative activities, contrary to the culture in his home country, India. Devansh completed an undergraduate degree in computer science engineering, where he learned about the depths of optics and software/sensors that worked behind capturing an image through a camera. After college, he got the opportunity to work with a production house on numerous projects telecasted on National TV Channels, including EPIC & DD NATIONAL (as Director of Photography), and assisting leading Indian fashion photographers. Devansh dreams of being a global Polymath cinematographer - someone who can handle most genres with aplomb. Currently, Devansh is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Cinematography at the NYFA, where he is working on thesis film "Butterfly Boy" as DoP. He is passionate about the story due to its emotional nature, and is excited to portray the protagonist's transformation on screen.

IMDb - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13592647/

Producer - Hari Iyer

Hari Iyer is an independent film Writer, Director, and Producer from Harrisburg, PA. During his undergraduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh, he started creating short films, along with music videos and commercials for local talent and venues. He interned across various production companies and VFX houses, including Animal Studios and PMI Studios. Currently, he is pursuing a Master's degree in Filmmaking at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, and working on a variety of short films and advertisements across the drama, horror, and comedy genres.

Hari is passionate about "Butterfly Boy" coming to life, as he is "invested in making an emotional piece of art that suggests a whole world that it doesn't show, art that doesn't spoon-feed the audience".

Website - https://hariiyerfilms.com

Production Designer - Mertcan 'MC' Dognay

Mertcan ‘MC’ is an art enthusiast who deals mostly with movies. From sitting in front of a painting for several hours, to designing Bauhaus buildings, he believes that art is the one and only getaway from daily life. Directing and production designing for film are his real passions. MC is also a MFA Filmmaking student at the New York Film Academy, and is excited to once again collaborate as Production Designer for Anna Buksowicz.

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mcdoganay/

Vimeo - https://vimeo.com/mcdoganay

1st Assistant Director - James Velasquez

James C. Velasquez is a film director, producer, and editor based out of Los Angeles, California. He is currently enrolled in the MFA in Filmmaking program at the New York Film Academy - Los Angeles campus. James writes, produces, and directs short films including a US military drama, Turning The Tide (2021), and a family comedy, Karaoke Birthday (2022). He completed his most recent production, Too Late To Sing?, in the Fall of 2022 and received the award for Best Ensemble at the Scarab Film Festival.

In October 2020, James launched a podcast & online talk show known as How WE Bounce Back with the purpose of driving open, relatable, and meaningful conversations on life’s difficult times. From 2016-2023, James worked in the advertising industry as a digital marketer. He was a Senior SEM Manager at Merkle (Dentsu) and previously serviced the FOX TV & FOX Sports accounts. Other notable clients he serviced were Lexus, The Cheesecake Factory, World Market, and Audi Silvercar. From 2013-2016, James also served as an instrumental role at Brand USA within the Global Marketing & Operations departments.

James has a passion to drive raw emotion with his stories through drama and comedy. He is an energetic filmmaker and enjoys bringing excitement to his cast and crew. As a first-generation Filipino-American, James has a great desire to showcase stories of AAPI and people of color. Through the visual art of filmmaking, he hopes to capture the hearts of audiences, no matter how small or big, and bridge together cross-cultural differences in the community.

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jamescvelasquez/

Website - https://www.jamescvelasquez.com

We appreciate you checking out our fundraiser! If you connect with our story and want to see this film get made, we ask that you contribute and spread our page with your network. Thanks in advance!

Stay updated and follow us along our journey from pre- to post-production on our social media pages!