Rogers State University adjunct instructor Felipe Oyarzo loves movies. But not just watching movies – making them. Recently, Oyarzo completed directing and acting in a movie that has been released on several platforms, including Amazon, VUDU, YouTube, Apple TV and iTunes.
The film, titled “Nation of Butterflies,” is about a Latin American country that receives national attention after a deep intellectual transformation that leads to the end of poverty, crime and corruption. Set within a fictitious nation, the movie is based on Oyarzo’s research and publications, specifically with regards to his cultural improvement theory.
Oyarzo is an adjunct instructor in RSU’s Department of Psychology and Sociology.
“Basically, my doctoral thesis focuses on the reduction of poverty rates in certain countries. One of the ways that I found to do this is through cultural transformation, through cultural improvement,” Oyarzo said. “I’m a U.S. citizen but was born in Chile in South America and can confirm that Latin America is very poor, very corrupted, the crime rates are very high there. Countries that have high rates of corruption have high rates of poverty, so this movie is about how the people in this country get together and end their own poverty, crime and corruption through a cultural transformation.”
Although only recently released, “Nation of Butterflies” was years in the making, Oyarzo said, as production had to be suspended during the pandemic.
“The pandemic delayed us. We had to stop filming, and I was even in the hospital and later on oxygen support at home myself,” he said. “All in all, we worked on it for about three years, shooting primarily in and around the Tulsa area, before wrapping.”
Once completed, the film debuted in Tulsa at Circle Cinema in a red-carpet premiere, with cast, crew, friends and family in attendance.
“It was great for everyone to come out and see themselves (in the movie),” he said. “Everyone involved was very happy – happy for the screening in Tulsa, happy with the final film, and happy that it’s being distributed into different regions of the world.”
While Oyarzo said he’s satisfied with the finished movie, he’s hopeful that those who see it appreciate its message of cultural transformation.
“Making a movie is very difficult. This one may be the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. You work with so many people, and there are things that can be out of your control, plus getting a movie released on Amazon and VUDU isn’t easy,” he said. “They have very specific standards for the movies they run, you must meet certain criteria, and international standards for streaming are very strict.
“We’re very happy with it – very happy,” he said. “For this to be our first feature film, we’re very satisfied with how it turned out.”
To view Oyarzo’s paper about the cultural improvement theory, visit https://un-pub.eu/ojs/index.php/pntsbs/article/view/5226.
For more information about “Nation of Butterflies,” visit https://www.lanaciondelasmariposas.com.