Director BIO: Samantha Ferrand (LA CASITA DE LA MARIPOSA)

Samantha Ferrand is a Peruvian-American filmmaker currently living in Los Angeles, California. While visiting Poland with her grandmother, Samantha attended a screening of “The Pianist” and walked out to find a blizzard waiting for her after the credits. She marks this experience as the moment she wanted to become a filmmaker. Her University of Miami undergraduate thesis, Jane Doe, premiered at the 2019 ARFF in Paris. She recently completed her MFA in Directing from Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film & Media Arts. She is currently in development on her first feature-length film, KISS KISS KILL KILL.

Director Statement

I always wanted to unravel the demise of my parents’ marriage.
My mother never spoke poorly of him and continues to consider him her “soulmate,” regardless of the bad blood between them. It has taken years to understand that the memory of love can stand the test of time, even when cruelty takes its place. La Casita de la Mariposa is a love letter for the little girls who grew up waiting for Prince Charming but found monsters instead.

It is not my intention to sour the idea of love but rather create a conversation on abuse within marriage and the society that cultivates a sense of guilt within women to stick it out at the detriment of their happiness.

I come from a culture that values family above all else, which is a beautiful idea, if not for the insurmountable pressure placed onto wives to keep the unit together. Pair that with the toxic masculinity or “machismo” rooted in Latin culture, and you have a recipe for spousal abuse.

I set out to make a movie in honor of my Peruvian mother but instead found a far too universal story. Sometimes to run is the brave thing.

Renee grew up waiting for her happily ever after. At least, that’s what her mother promised her. But what happens if you marry Prince Charming to find he’s a Monster? Pregnant and living in a foreign land, Renee must decide to stay with her husband or leave him. The decision is hers alone to make.