In a quiet Yucatán village, a boy seeks the truth in a shaman's tale, entering a cave where myth, childhood and cosmic wonder entwine.

Bird, Bat or Butterfly blends observational realism with quiet magic to tell the story of Darwin, a restless boy in a remote Yucatán village. Bored of playing games on his phone, he sets out to uncover the truth behind Shaman Charli's tales, venturing alone into a forbidden cave. What begins as a simple quest transforms into something more cosmic - a meditation on belief, time and the ancient pulse of the earth. Shot during the 2023 Creators Lab in Mexico, under the guidance of Apichatpong Weerasethakul, the film drifts between documentary and fiction, capturing a rare complicity between subject and filmmaker. With a title that hints at metamorphosis, Bird, Bat or Butterfly hovers gently in the unknown, where myth, memory and mystery coexist.

This film will screen as part of Shorts: The Great Beyond. Please click on a showing below to see when this programme screens throughout the festival.