1997

Passersby on Astor Place in New York City speak a silent language as they walk past the reflective surface of a storefront window. Heller wanted to capture the “unwritten choreography of the street,” the dance of glances.

In the Amsterdam street where Chinese photographer To Sang has his photo studio, many nationalities are represented. There is a Surinamese wig store, a Kurdish restaurant, a Chinese jewelry, and a Dutch grocery store. All shop owners decide to have their portraits done by To Sang. Outstanding documentary filmmaker Johan Van der Keuken is there to capture the process.

Nocturnal Butterflies is the only film entirely made in Servaisgraphy, a technique that fuses live-action and animation. The late Raoul Servais, a key figure in the history of Belgian animation, already experimented with this style in his film Harpya.