Exclusive Trailer for Berlinale Premiere: The Memory of Butterflies Delves into Latin American History

      Beginning this week, the 2025 Berlinale showcases a wealth of captivating premieres. One film gaining attention is Peruvian director Tatiana Fuentes Sadowski’s La memoria de las mariposas, also known as The Memory of Butterflies, which is set to make its world premiere in the Forum section. The film poignantly examines the extractive, colonial rubber trade of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Latin America, and we are excited to present the first trailer exclusively.

      Here’s the synopsis: "Tatiana Fuentes Sadowski was intrigued by an old photograph of two Indigenous men: taken to London for 'civilization' around the turn of the 20th century, their names were known, but little else about them – Omarino and Aredomi. This sparked Sadowski’s desire to delve deeper into history. LA MEMORIA DE LAS MARIPOSAS critiques the conventional narrative surrounding the extractive, colonial rubber trade of that era in Latin America. Utilizing black-and-white, hand-processed Super 8 imagery that resembles thoroughly researched archival footage and historical photographs, the film presents a counter-narrative to the colonial project, prompting Sadowski to introspectively examine her role as a filmmaker. Beyond the archives, Sadowski shares the photograph with the contemporary Indigenous peoples of Peru, the descendants of Omarino and Aredomi, capturing their responses on film. As a strong cinematic tribute, LA MEMORIA DE LAS MARIPOSAS aims to recover the lost and neglected stories of those impacted by the rubber boom, allowing space for the memories that escape from official narratives."

      “THE MEMORY OF BUTTERFLIES originates from a singular photograph: a portrait of Omarino and Aredomi holding hands in London,” the director explains. “Before I saw this photo, I felt drawn to them. I chose to trace their steps, which prompted me to search for them in archives across Peru, Brazil, Ireland, England, Portugal, the United States, and France. Most of the materials I found were propaganda images from extraction projects and colonial expeditions in the Amazon."

      Watch the exclusive trailer below.