17-year-old Giddy spends a week in England seeking reconnection with her queer and estranged sister, Julie. On the night of Julie’s 24th birthday, Giddy faces a tumultuous transition into adulthood. The sisters clash as old patterns and memories remerge.

Unlike the popular coming-of-age tales of our time (ie. Ladybird, Call Me By Your Name), this film centres Malaysian experiences and bodies that are highly underrepresented in the global cinema landscape.

My Sister is a Butterfly is a story about grief and growing pains told through an exploration of queer Malaysian diasporic experiences against the backdrop of an escalating climate crisis.

"Giddy and Julie come from a region that will face uninhabitable climate conditions much sooner than Britain. This story offers my perspective on the lasting impact of Empire and the decaying future we’re heading into. There's a sense of existentialism in all of the characters, even the ones you might disapprove of..."
 

Emily Ong (they/them) is a Malaysian filmmaker and interdisciplinary artist invested in decolonisation and community. Their work explores multiplicity and transformation in identity during a time of intense environmental shift. A versatile independent, their work as a Director of Photography includes award winning shorts Black & White Duppy (2023), This Land is All Mine (2021) and Motherland (2020) the latter two having screened at London Short Film Festival. Emily’s directorial debut Abantu—同人 (2022) has been officially selected for Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2023. 

Operating as TEETH, Emily is also a tattoo artist known for their abstract and freehand work both in black and colour ink. They've designed a special MSIAB flash to raise money for this film.

*Only available in London, UK and between March-August 2024.

*If you'd prefer a freehand piece instead, you can discuss this with them via direct message on instagram (@teeththewhale). They will not be doing custom pieces. 

Arunveer Kahlon (he/him) is a British-Indian filmmaker who has worked with Emily on a number of filmic and community projects. His work looks at the location of one’s culture and he uses film as an exploration of himself and his relationships with those around him.

As a producer, he's driven by his passion of realising important scripts and working with other talented filmmakers to create lasting work. Arunveer endeavours to build his career with films made by, about, and for the underrepresented.

Listen to our official playlist, put together by Emily.