Butterfly, the highly effective debut characteristic from NYC-based director Dante Hillmedo, has been awarded Finest Characteristic Movie on the 2025 Large Apple Movie Pageant, a powerful breakthrough for a first-time filmmaker delivering a deeply emotional and culturally resonant story.
Set in opposition to the backdrop of New York Metropolis, Butterfly follows Jericha, a teenage lady navigating poverty, faculty bullying, and fractured friendships whereas making an attempt to maintain her struggling household afloat below the roof of her single, immigrant mom working a minimum-wage job. Dance turns into her solely outlet, a type of freedom in an more and more confined world.
The movie consists of standout performances by Tahiry Jose (Love & Hip Hop: New York) as a stern faculty principal and Lea Robinson (First Household of Hip Hop), whose pivotal function brings depth to the movie’s emotional climax.
“This was my first movie, my first pageant, and now my first award,” Hillmedo shared. “To win Finest Characteristic means all the pieces. This story is private. It displays so many younger voices dwelling by battle, with a spark of hope pushing them ahead.”
Following the pageant win, Butterfly will host a red-carpet screening on Saturday, September 6, 2025, in New York Metropolis—bringing solid, crew, and supporters collectively to have a good time the movie’s compelling message and rising momentum.
