logo
Judy Davis, Florence Hunt come on baord for 'Butterfly Stroke'

Judy Davis, Florence Hunt come on baord for 'Butterfly Stroke'

Malaysia Sun18-05-2025

Los Angeles [US], May 17 (ANI): Judy Davis and Florence Hunt will be seen headlining Denis Rabaglia's directorial 'Butterfly Stroke'.
As per Deadline, the film will go on floors on July 28. Caroline Peters and Malaya Stern Takeda are also a part of the project.
'Butterfly Stroke' follows 'Ruth (Davis), an eccentric, determined woman who wants control over everything. Even death. She heads to Zurich for an orderly, legal exit. Her estranged granddaughter, Lori (Hunt), gatecrashes and won't leave without her. Their reunion is transformative and loving.'
Official synopsis of the film reads: Butterfly Stroke centres on Ruth (Davis), a British swimming champion, and a woman who wants control over every aspect of her life - including its end. Diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour, she sets out on a final journey to Switzerland, where assisted dying is legal. She calls her estranged granddaughter, Lori (Hunt), to inform her of the plan and the inheritance she'll soon receive. Lori, impulsive and headstrong in her own way, won't let Ruth slip away so easily. She races to Switzerland to stop - or at least understand - Ruth's decision.
In Zurich, 'Ruth's unusual attitude conflicts with the organization's routine and becomes a nightmare for her case manager. Ruth also meets her match in the fastidious Dr Steiger (Caroline Peters), whose unflinching application of the rulebook leads to a darkly comedic standoff. Meanwhile, Lori finds herself unexpectedly distracted by Ingrid (Malaya Stern Takeda), a charming Swiss football player whom she can't help falling for. As Ruth's carefully laid plans get delayed, grandmother and granddaughter find themselves stuck in a limbo that's unexpectedly funny and revealing. They begin to bridge the vast emotional chasm between them, and long-buried secrets rise to the surface, including the mysterious event that derailed Ruth's Olympic future.'
Butterfly Stroke is written by Nat Luurtsema, Denis Rabaglia, and Jessica Townsend. (ANI)

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

#SHOWBIZ: Zur Eda's enduring passion
#SHOWBIZ: Zur Eda's enduring passion

New Straits Times

time10 hours ago

  • New Straits Times

#SHOWBIZ: Zur Eda's enduring passion

VETERAN singer Zur Eda Mokhtar, 60, looks hale and hearty, even though she was seriously ill a decade ago. Back in 2015, she suffered from a kidney ailment, which landed her a three-month stay in a government hospital. Fortunately, she recovered and bounced back to health and, today, she continues to entertain fans at events in the Klang Valley. Expressing gratitude to all her fans and loved ones for praying hard for her recovery, Zur Eda is also thankful to veteran singers Datuk DJ Dave, Datuk M Nasir and Datuk Nash, the trustees of Yayasan Kebajikan Artis Tanahair (YKAT), for lending a helping hand during her long hospitalisation. "They were the first people to go all out and help me meet my medical expenses, which were pretty costly," said Zur Eda at a recent 'buka puasa' organised by YKAT in Kampung Attap, Kuala Lumpur. "Thank God, I'm once again able to sing for Malaysians. I was in tremendous pain as a result of the kidney infection, and while warded at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre, I often feared for the worst." Zur Eda also struggled to make ends meet during the Covid-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022. "I am also grateful that my singing career has never stopped, especially after appearing in the third season of the reality show, 'Gegar Vaganza'." Zur Eda described 'Gegar Vaganza' or GV as a godsend for her. "The reality show allows young ones to know me and other 'otais'. It is a healthy and friendly competition from the word go, and a great avenue to catch up with long-lost friends." When asked if her children or grandchildren would follow in her footsteps, Zur Eda said the answer was a definite "no". "I've got two adult children, who can sing but only as a hobby, and four grandchildren aged one to 7. "They love my music very much, and I sang them to sleep when they were toddlers. "Perhaps they may want to follow in my footsteps one day, but they must graduate with degrees first." Zur Eda, whose real name is Zuraidah Mokhtar, began her singing career in the 1980s and was initially nicknamed "Sade Malaysia" for her slight resemblance to the legendary Nigerian-British singer Sade Adu. "My hair was curly, and my forehead was wide. I also wore big round earrings, which were the latest trend at the time. "Coincidentally, Sade was popular with the song 'Smooth Operator' then, and journalists started calling me Sade Malaysia," she said. Zur Eda, however, insisted that she had no intention of imitating Sade, as their music genres were entirely different — she was a pop singer while Sade shone in jazz. On the most memorable moment in her career, the singer fondly remembered visiting the interior district of Belaga in Kapit, Sarawak. "I was happy to see the Orang Ulu community in Sarawak, who met and greeted me warmly in Belaga in 1989. "It was among the happiest moments in my career were performing in Sabah and Sarawak. The people there are very friendly and cheerful." She also said while singing in Belaga, an insect entered her mouth, but fortunately, she spit it out. While singing at the Black Jack Club in 1984, Zur Eda met her husband, Zulkifli Mohd Yusof, who was also a bass guitarist, and they married a year later. They were blessed with two children, Siti Sarah, 35, and Mohd Naquib, 28. Zur Eda has produced three albums, namely 'Pelitaku' in 1987, followed by 'Lama Tak Jumpa' (1990) and 'Kelmarin' (1992), since becoming a singer at the age of 18. For almost a decade, Zur Eda has been making biscuits and cakes for Hari Raya during Ramadan and selling them at her Ramadan stall in The Curve, Petaling Jaya. "Many of my fellow artistes sell their cakes or biscuits there, there's Liza Abdullah, Ismaliza Ismail, Elliza Razak and Amai Kamaruddin. "I've been making cakes and biscuits for four decades. It is a good investment because an artiste will always fall on hard times and needs to support himself or herself with a second job." Zur Eda plans to record songs with new singers as there are many talents among the newcomers. "We all must learn to adapt with the times, to roll with the times," she said. "And as always, the songs I record help raise funds for the needy — helping them, especially the artistes, always makes me happy," she said.

TV graphics put fun into South Korean election count
TV graphics put fun into South Korean election count

The Sun

timea day ago

  • The Sun

TV graphics put fun into South Korean election count

SEOUL: Two candidates vying to be president vigorously plunge a toilet, kick a football, then pop open a soda -- it can only be South Korean election night, where whacky graphics strive to make vote-counting fun. 'Harry Potter', 'Squid Game', a rigorous spinning class... no reference is too small or too bizarre to be mined by broadcaster SBS for outlandish CGI-animated graphics to attract viewers -- and, the journalists behind it say, make politics more accessible and engaging. Thanks to a dozens-strong specialist team at SBS, the dry work of tallying millions of ballots on the evening of June 3, after South Koreans vote for their next leader, will be transformed into an Olympic-level spectacle. 'The pressure is on,' SBS broadcast journalist Son Hyoung-an, who has been working on the election graphics team since before the poll was announced, told AFP. 'Everyone is asking us what we will do next, and they are excited to see what we'll bring to the table,' said Son. The tradition began around a decade ago, when South Korean networks noticed they could get more eyeballs on election night by leaning into the country's strong K-pop and K-drama tradition, and by trying to make politics fun and entertaining. It started with simple 2D visuals -- the most striking of which showed candidates walking up a building horizontally -- but, with an enthusiastic response, it has grown in scale and scope. Now, most Korean networks run sophisticated animated sequences that show the candidates' faces and body movements -- with their permission -- using actors to create the movements, then splicing the real faces on top. - Snap election - This year's poll posed a particular challenge, as it is a snap election after ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached and stripped of office over his abortive martial law declaration, meaning that SBS's election team had hardly any time to prepare. 'We need to do five months worth of work in a matter of weeks,' Son told AFP, adding that convincing the super-busy candidates to spare them a few minutes to film their faces for the graphics was tough. The front-runner, liberal Lee Jae-myung, ran in 2022 and lost to Yoon by the narrowest margin in the country's history -- meaning SBS already had footage of him from their previous coverage. The challenge was with Kim Moon-soo, the conservative former labour minister and ruling People Power Party nominee -- but his team said he was too busy and kept rejecting the election graphics team requests. Eventually, they secured three minutes with him in front of a green screen. Then they just had to come up with the graphics. One of this year's themes is 'Squid Game', with the animations showing Lee and Kim competing in classic childhood games from the hit Netflix series, from 'red light, green light' to 'ddakji'. 'Even the smallest ideas are welcome,' SBS journalist Kim Deok-hyun, told AFP. 'We gather personal memories, joyful moments - anything the team finds entertaining -- without filtering or holding back.' One team member had a particularly good spinning class and suggested it could work for election night. In the graphic, both candidates' heads bob furiously as they ride indoor bicycles, their vote share rising with each pedal stroke. For voters frustrated by the country's political turmoil, another sequence features a sound effect known in Korean as 'bbeong' -- the noise a fizzy drink makes when opened, or the thwack of a football, or the gurgle when a toilet is unclogged. - Rap battle - SBS is particularly well-known for its election graphics, but all South Korean networks do it -- with one rival channel going viral last year for a rap battle between candidates. 'It does make you wonder, can we go this far with people who might become the president?' said Kim. But the journalists behind SBS's offerings say that the purpose of the graphics is to create a 'flow' to engage viewers and keep them hooked on the democratic process. Early in the day while voting is underway, coverage is more restrained, but once exit polls are out 'we'll roll out fast-paced, high-energy items, with rapid-fire summaries to help viewers follow the evolving picture', said Kim. 'We want people to look forward to our election night coverage, the way they anticipate a new film, thinking, 'I can't wait to see what they do this time'.' Experts agree that graphics can help keep viewers -- and voters -- engaged. 'Eye-catching graphics could be valuable, if they serve to draw attention not just to visuals but to substantive content that helps elevate the political discourse in our country,' Kim Seo-joong, a professor at Sungkonghoe University told AFP.

Foreign visitors capture the heart of Kaamatan through their lens
Foreign visitors capture the heart of Kaamatan through their lens

The Star

time2 days ago

  • The Star

Foreign visitors capture the heart of Kaamatan through their lens

ARMED with their cameras, Polish couple Darek Kalinski and Agnieszka Witusik spent Saturday (May 31) immersed in the colours, sounds and spirit of Sabah's Kaamatan grand finale. Their lenses captured not just images, but a cultural experience they described as unforgettable. Snapping away under the blazing sun at the Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA) in Penampang, the couple were visibly awed by the vibrant procession of locals dressed in traditional attire, lining the pathway to welcome dignitaries and guests. 'This is not just a festival. It was alive. We want to photograph everything, the details in the costumes, the music, the smiles,' said Kalinski, 64, who, along with Witusik, 53, was on his first visit to Sabah. The couple, currently on a three-week Borneo adventure, said discovering the Kaamatan Festival was a fortunate, spontaneous twist in their plans. While planning their journey, they had come across mentions of the celebration but struggled to find clear information online. 'We were not even sure we would be able to catch it. The lack of official details made planning difficult, so we started our trip in Sarawak, thinking we might miss it altogether,' Kalinski explained. But a lucky online post revealing the dates of the two-day festival finale on May 30 and 31 prompted a spontaneous detour to Sabah. What was meant to be a brief stopover turned into a three-day stay, as they became fully immersed not just in the atmosphere but also in the energy of the crowd, the rhythm of traditional dances and the warmth of the people. 'The colours, the dancing, the people … it all came together in such a natural, heartfelt way. You cannot help but be drawn into it,' said Witusik, scrolling through photos they had taken. After experiencing the highlights of Kaamatan, the couple plan to return to Sarawak to visit the Mulu Caves before heading to Brunei, and will eventually return to Sabah for the final leg of their trip in Sandakan. But both agreed that Kaamatan had already left the deepest impression. 'We really hope more information will be made available online in future. This is something truly special, a real cultural treasure. We have taken so many photos to share with our friends back home,' said Kalinski. Also attending the celebration was Swiss retiree Marco Brudermann, 66, who described Kaamatan as 'refreshingly uncommercial and deeply sincere.' He was accompanied by his long-time friend Liliane Blume, 64, also from Switzerland, who has lived in Sabah for the past 18 years. Fresh from a journey through Manila and Zamboanga in the Philippines, Brudermann, a sociocultural anthropologist, noted that while there are similar traditional festivals back home, Sabah's connection to folklore and ancestral identity feels equally strong. 'You can feel the sincerity. The people are not just putting on a show … they are celebrating something deeply meaningful. It touches the soul,' he said. Having travelled extensively for work, Brudermann said being in Sabah during Kaamatan was a uniquely enriching experience. 'Sabahans are becoming increasingly committed to preserving their traditions, and it is beautiful to witness,' he added. Blume, a former German teacher at the Borneo Tourism Institute, agreed. 'This is not just a performance. Kaamatan is a living, breathing tradition. People are genuinely proud of their heritage, and you can feel that everywhere,' she said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store