Pandora's Butterfly
In the heart of a society often shadowed by loneliness, a group of volunteers devotes their time caring for those the world has left behind.
They walk us through their routines, sharing their personal stories, moments of doubt, sparks of hope and the unexpected joy and healing they discover in service.
It is a journey of transformation, touching not only the lives they serve, but also their own.
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Shady GeorgeDirector
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Shady GeorgeWriter
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Camelia AyadKey Cast
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Rafeek NaseefKey Cast
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Mannal MorrisKey Cast
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Marlene IssacKey Cast
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Miriam IssacKey Cast
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Ahdy AzmyKey Cast
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Arlene EmileKey Cast
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Nargis AzizKey Cast
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Yousria SaadKey Cast
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Ramo SaadKey Cast
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Father. Yoannes VictorKey Cast
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Father. Mousa MinaKey Cast
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Kareem HenawyVoice Over
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Shady GeorgeEditor
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Shady GeorgeCinematographer
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KoltaCinematographer
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Shady GeorgeFilm Colourist
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Shady GeorgeProducer
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Shady GeorgeSound Design
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Project Title (Original Language):فراشه باندورا
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Project Type:Documentary, Short
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Genres:Inspirational, Spiritual, Faith Based, Social, Humanity, Mythological
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Runtime:15 minutes 53 seconds
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Completion Date:June 20, 2025
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Country of Origin:Egypt
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Country of Filming:Egypt
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Language:Arabic
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Shooting Format:HEVC, 3840*2160, 18.87Mbit/s ACC
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Aspect Ratio:2.4:1
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Digital Cinema Package:Unavailable
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Festival Internazionale Nebrodi Cinema DocMessina
Italy
September 29, 2025
Honorable Mention (Menzione d’Onore) -
Maracay International Film & Video FestivalMaracay
Venezuela
June 19, 2026
Best Documentary Short Film -
Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente de Madrid (FICIMAD)Madrid
Spain
June 19, 2026
Short Documentary Best Sound -
The IndieFEST Film AwardsSan Diego
United States
July 22, 2025
Award of Recognition -
Better World Film FestivalMunich
Germany
October 26, 2025
Award Winner -
The Impact DOCS AwardsLa Jolla, CA
United States
February 3, 2026
Award of Recognition -
Cinema WorldFest AwardsLos Angeles
United States
June 30, 2026
Award of Merit, Human Interest -
Best Shorts CompetitionLa Jolla, California
United States
September 16, 2025
Award of Recognition -
Africa USA International Film FestivalCannes
France
June 17, 2026
Honorable Mention -
Festival de Cine AntiguaAntigua
Guatemala
April 25, 2026
Honorable Mention -
7th Kolkata International Micro Film Festival - KIMFF 2026Kolkata
India
January 9, 2026
Best Documentary Film 2nd Runner Up -
Pluribus Multimedia FestNapoli
Italy
November 25, 2025
Nominee Best Social Impact Award -
JACKSON DOC FESTJackson, TN
United States
October 18, 2025
Finalist -
Cuzco Underground Cinema FestivalCuzco
Peru
October 2, 2025
Finalist -
Eastern Europe Film FestivalCraiova
Romania
September 2, 2025
Official Selection -
Canal de Panama International Film FestivaSan Francisco
Panama
August 13, 2025
Official Selection -
Othismos Film FestivalRizziconi
Italy
October 31, 2025
Official Selection -
Trujillo International Independent Film FestivalTrujillo
Peru
September 23, 2025
Official Selection -
International Puerto Rican Heritage Film FestivalNew York
United States
November 12, 2025
Official Selection -
Salto Independent Film FestivalSalto
Uruguay
October 12, 2025
Official Selection -
Newfilmmakers NYNew York
United States
September 1, 2025
Official Selection -
Cultural Connections Film FestivalWashington DC
United States
October 10, 2025
Official Selection -
The Bay International Film FestivalMorecambe
United Kingdom
January 23, 2026
Quarter Finalist -
Cannes World Film FestivalCannes
France
November 29, 2025
Finalist -
BAHIA Independent Cinema FestivalSalvador, Bahia
Brazil
November 4, 2025
Official Selection -
Festival Internacional de Cine con Medios Alternativos (FICMA)Ciudad de México
Mexico
November 12, 2025
Official Selection -
Girona Film FestivalGirona
Spain
November 4, 2025
Official Selection -
SAN JOSÉ International Film AwardsSan José
Costa Rica
November 20, 2025
Official Selection -
Capri, Hollywood - The International Film FestivalCapri
Italy
December 26, 2025
Official Selection -
SANTIAGO Festival De Cine Del MundoSantiago
Chile
December 18, 2025
Official Selection -
Festival de Cine de San LorenzoSan Lorenzo
Paraguay
December 11, 2025
Official Selection -
UUCP Film FestDumaguate
Philippines
January 1, 2026
Official Selection -
Kalaburagi International Film FestivalKalaburagi
India
February 28, 2026
Finalist -
FINDECOIN - Independent International Short & Feature Film FestivalLechería,
Venezuela
February 22, 2026
Official Selection -
San Antonio Independent Film FestivalIbarra,
Ecuador
March 19, 2026
Official Selection -
Massa Martana Soulplace Film FestivalUmbria
Italy
March 14, 2026
Participation Prize Award -
Cittadella International Film FestivalCittadella
Italy
May 8, 2026
Official Selection -
Festival Internacional de Cine del Cono Sur "FICCSUR"Valparaíso
Chile
May 19, 2026
Official Selection -
San Francisco Frozen Film Festival (SFFFF)San Francisco
United States
July 15, 2026
Official Selection
Shady is a filmmaker from Alexandria, Egypt, with experience in developing short scripts, directing, cinematography, editing, and color grading for numerous short films.
He began his filmmaking journey in February 2023 and has attended several workshops and masterclasses in scriptwriting, film production, cinematography, acting, and directing at reputable cultural institutions. Shady is enrolled at the “Arab Film and TV School” (Affiliated with the Academy of Arts, Egyptian Ministry of Culture), He has completed completed modules in scriptwriting, directing, editing, cinematography, and sound.
“Between what is said and not meant, and what is meant and not said, much love is lost.”
This quote by Gibran Khalil Gibran perfectly captures one of the main reasons behind my passion for filmmaking. It reflects the inability to express feelings with the right words, a dilemma I often face, when I am missing words that really express what I feel.
I believe films possess the unique ability to convey emotions without uttering a single word, a way to express what remains unspoken, by the virtue of communicating by images, painting with lights, express with composition, camera angels, blocking, staging, subtext, etc..
Currently, I am in an experimental phase of my artistic journey, experimenting with different tools, techniques, and approaches that that best define me and my vision and effectively convey the images, thoughts, and topics that captivate my mind.
I aim to remain open and flexible, testing, changing, and adopting different methodologies in both my thoughts and filmmaking techniques.
I don't align myself with any specific cinematic style or methodology, but I am deeply interested in:
- Social and emotional narratives that delve into human vulnerabilities and challenges such as loneliness, conflicts in beliefs and needs, depression, weaknesses and obsession, the meaning of happiness, and love from various perspectives. I am trying to achieve this through constructing tense plot with extreme pressure on characters, to magnify specific feeling, in order to best observe and communicate such feeling
- Multi layered storytelling, the first basic layer is the simple entreating connected story, beneath that additional complex dimensions to be added with symbols and projections, it could be a reflection of the society, incidents, beliefs or even the film maker himself or the human battle with its own demons. In all cases, I always try to be mindful of the first basic dimension “the connected entertaining story”, beside to proper use of exposition, subtext and juxtaposition.
- Cinematic aesthetics, I am captivated by the picture aesthetics through hard lighting and emphasizing on shadows, expressive color grading (ranging from black and white to washed out coloring to vivid saturation), dynamic scene composition which manipulate the foreground and background to create illusion of vivid picture depth. I also admire deep focus, (however when it comes to shallow focus and soft lighting I am interested in the use of anamorphic lenses with its distinctive light flare and focus breathing effect), also I am interested in long scene takes, while when it comes to editing I prefer match, jump and smash cuts.