Bellas Mariposas

Pretty Butterflies

Cate lives on the outskirts of Cagliari with her many brothers and sisters and a good-for-nothing father. She wants to get out and dreams of becoming a singer, not wanting to end up like her sister, Mandarina, pregnant at thirteen, or like Samantha, the neighborhood slut. Gigi, her neighbor, is the only one worthy of her love. Today, August the 3rd, Gigi's life is in danger. One of Cate's brothers, Tonio, wants to kill him. Meanwhile, Cate and her best friend Luna pass the longest day of their lives, between their neighborhood, the sea and the streets of the city center. As the evening draws to a close all seems lost, but out of nowhere a beautiful woman appears, the ‘coga’ Aleni, a witch who can read the future … PRETTY BUTTERFLIES was screened at the 69th Venice International Film Festival in 2012.

Director's Biography

SALVATORE MEREU, born 1965 in Italy, studied at the arts and drama school DAMS and the “Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia”. After making short films, Mereu made his first feature film BALLO A TRE PASSI in 2003, for which he won, among others, the 2004 “David di Donatello” Award for the best new director. In 2006 he founded the production company “Viacolvento”. SONETÀULA was presented at the Berlinale in 2008 and won three Golden Globes. // Films (selected): BALLO A TRE PASSI (Three-Step Dance, 2003), SONETÀULA (2008), TAJABONE (2010), BELLAS MARIPOSAS (Pretty Butterflies, 2012)