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Iron Butterflies

Play trailer Poster for Iron Butterflies 2023 1h 28m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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83% Tomatometer 18 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
In the summer of 2014, sunflower fields and coal mines in eastern Ukraine turn into a 12 square kilometers crime scene. A multi-layered investigation into the downing of flight MH17, in which a butterfly-shaped shrapnel was found in the pilot’s body implicated the state responsible for a war crime that remains unpunished.

Critics Reviews

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Alexandra Heller-Nicholas AWFJ.org 08/15/2023
Compelling if not altogether even, Iron Butterflies seeks to fill an important gap by revisiting a key moment in the history of the current Russo-Ukrainian War. Go to Full Review Nick Allen RogerEbert.com 02/03/2023
Liubyi passionately assembles the pieces to this testimony of a broken system, using a cinematic cynicism that is often moving in a way optimism is not. Go to Full Review Richard Whittaker Austin Chronicle 01/31/2023
Iron Butterflies becomes suitably haunting. It's a place where a regular documentary would not find itself: a place to scream silently at the sins committed against those 298 people Go to Full Review Anya Couture Geek Vibes Nation Jul 26
5.5/10
The way the message comes through the mouthpiece of performance art severely limits the impact of the severity and past-due immediacy that unfortunately robs Iron Butterflies of the influence it could wield, and inadvertently alienates the audience. Go to Full Review Jorge Ignacio Castillo Planet S Magazine 08/31/2023
2.5/5
Because I strongly believe docs have a place on the big screen, it brings me no joy to tell you this one isn’t great. Go to Full Review Emma Badame That Shelf 08/25/2023
Liubyi’s documentary–a truly remarkable cinematic criminal investigation–is a must-see for those looking to parse events leading up to the current conflict in Eastern Europe Go to Full Review Read all reviews
Iron Butterflies

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Cast & Crew

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Roman Liubyi

Director

Roman Liubyi

Writer

Mila Zhluktenko

Writer

Volodymyr Tykhyy

Producer

David Armati Lechner

Producer

Isabelle Bertolone

Producer
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Iron Butterflies

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Movie Info

Synopsis In the summer of 2014, sunflower fields and coal mines in eastern Ukraine turn into a 12 square kilometers crime scene. A multi-layered investigation into the downing of flight MH17, in which a butterfly-shaped shrapnel was found in the pilot’s body implicated the state responsible for a war crime that remains unpunished.
Director
Roman Liubyi
Producer
Volodymyr Tykhyy, David Armati Lechner, Isabelle Bertolone, Andrii Kotliar, Trini Götze
Screenwriter
Roman Liubyi, Mila Zhluktenko, Roman Liubyi, Mila Zhluktenko
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
Ukrainian
Runtime
1h 28m