Butterfly

Gemma is an ordinary woman, with an extraordinary condition. She suffers from albinism, meaning that she has no pigment in her hair or skin and suffers from poor eyesight, although it should be noted her eyes are blue. As she wryly notes: “Red eyes are for the movies... and rabbits.”

Director Yulia Mahr’s camera follows Gemma as she goes about her routine - climbing an indoor rock face, swimming and overlays her story. The images used work well with what Gemma tells us about her life and her hopes for the future. By using a similar technique to that adopted by Johan Kramer in 0.08 she also helps us experience the world as Gemma sees it. Her clever direction helps us empathise with Gemma, not just peer in at her life voyeuristically.

Having already proved she can turn her hand to fictional short film (Drowning, which won the Scottish BAFTA for best first-time director) it seems Mahr has plenty of flair for documentary too. Definitely a director to watch.