Kantemir Balagov’s Butterfly Jam premieres at Cannes

Kantemir Balagov’s new film, ‘Butterfly Jam’, was presented at the Cannes Film Festival’s Quinzaine des Cinéastes. The drama follows the life of a young wrestler within the Circassian diaspora living in New Jersey.

The story centers on Pyteh, a 16-year-old junior wrestling champion, and his relationship with his father, Marat. As Pyteh navigates his athletic ambitions, he begins to see the flaws in his father, an immigrant struggling to maintain a traditional Circassian restaurant on the brink of bankruptcy. The film explores themes of masculinity, disillusionment, and the complexities of immigrant identity.

The production features a cast including Barry Keoghan, Riley Keough, and Harry Melling. Balagov, a Russian director currently in exile in Los Angeles, filmed the project in northern France.