Papillon: An Animated Short Looking at the Life Of Alfred Nakache

“Papillon” (Butterfly in English), an animated short that has made the 98th Academy Awards shortlist for Animated Short Films, looks at the life of Alfred Nakache.

A Jewish French swimmer who competed at the 1936 Berlin Olympics in Nazi Germany, Nakache then lost his wife and daughter while being held captive at Auschwitz. He survived brutality and then returned to the Olympics in 1948, competing in the London Games. Nakache set a world record in the men’s 200-meter breaststroke in a time of 2:36.8 in 1941 in Marseilles.

He and Ben Helfgott (weightlifting) are the only known survivors of the Holocaust to have competed in the Olympics afterwards. Unfortunately, Nakache passed away doing what he loved, as he had a heart attack during a swim in a port in Cerbère, France.

Nakache is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHF) and was inducted into the class of 2019 as the “Pioneer” honoree for his contribution to the sport of swimming.

Today, Nakache shares ties to an outstanding swimmer who has taken the world by storm and has been directly impacted by the mark that Nakache left on swimming in France. That swimmer would be none other than four-time Olympic champion Leon Marchand, who learned how to swim at the Alfred Nakache pool in France.

We had the chance to interview both the producer, Florence Miaihle, and the director, Ron Dynes, as their film recently made the Oscar shortlist, which was narrowed down from 115 eligible short films to 15 finalists through the voting process. Oscar nominations come out on January 22nd, and are being voted on at the time of publishing. The voting is currently live and will be closing on Wednesday.

Q&A with Florence Miailhe and Ron Dynes:

What are your personal connections to swimming?

Florence: I learned to swim in France on a Mediterranean beach at the Mickey Club, where Alfred Nakache’s brother, William, taught me butterfly. I’ve always loved water, encouraged by my father, who was also a strong swimmer. I joined swimming clubs in high school, including Les Mouettes de Paris, where I also practiced synchronized swimming. I competed occasionally, though never very successfully—I always started a bit late.

Ron: I swam for many years, mainly backstroke and breaststroke, but lacked the physical power to compete at a high level. Today, I mainly swim in the sea.

What were the goals of the short?

Florence: My first goal was simply to tell this story, which deeply moved me when I discovered it. I wanted to tell it like a fairy tale—the story of a man whose life was inseparable from water. In the film, water becomes almost a character in itself.

It also felt essential to recall history. Artists and athletes are still excluded or discriminated against because of their skin color, origin, gender, sexual orientation, or beliefs, reflecting a broader rise in racism, antisemitism, and homophobia.

We are living in a time of closed borders and hardened identities, with growing threats to civil rights. Nakache’s story reflects the deprivation of rights during the rise of fascism in Europe. Although Algerian Jews gained French citizenship through the Crémieux Decree in 1870, Nakache was stripped of his citizenship under the Vichy regime and banned from competition. This led to the arrest of his family and the murder of his wife and daughter at Auschwitz. Today, as we again hear talk of denaturalization and deportation, it is vital to remember how devastating such decisions can be.

How do you think Alfred Nakache would react to the short? Have you shared it with his family?

Florence: Like many former deportees, Nakache never spoke about the camps or the death of his wife and daughter. When asked about the number tattooed on his arm, he would jokingly say it was his phone number.

After completing the film, I met one of his nephews and a niece. Nakache chose not to have children. They were deeply moved by the film and appreciated that it was not a documentary, but a poetic and dreamlike interpretation of his life.

They remembered him as extremely kind and very funny. He often gave away his medals and felt his fame may have contributed to his denunciation—possibly by a jealous competitor who later joined the militia. His nephew, now a physical education teacher, organized a screening at his high school to discuss memory and the deportation of Jews from Toulouse.

Ron: I think Alfred Nakache would feel a quiet pride in seeing Florence’s film.

Where do you see this going after making the Academy shortlist?

Ron: We take things one step at a time. The film has now been selected for over a hundred festivals and has won dozens of awards. We hope for an Academy Award nomination and support from the sporting community, especially swimmers. Above all, this is a film about resilience and cooperation, not competition.

How does the film connect sports, history, and human rights?

Florence: By showing that even a French champion and world record holder was not protected, the film speaks to athletes—then and now—who face discrimination because of religion, skin color, beliefs, or personal choices.

Nakache’s return to swimming with the support of his teammates, his recovery from trauma, and his participation in the 1947 London Olympics at just 40 kg demonstrate extraordinary resilience. Though he suffered lasting health problems, he continued swimming daily. He died in 1983 of a heart attack while swimming, at age 68.

Ron: As with “Flow,” the Oscar-winning animated feature I produced, Butterfly speaks about our world and the dangers of excessive individualism. One film looks to the past, the other to the future, but both reflect our present.

What stands out in “Butterfly” is the collective. Nakache is never alone—he is surrounded by teammates, family, friends, and fellow prisoners. He survives because of others.

How will a swimming-based audience connect with and support the film?

Florence: Nakache was largely forgotten, in part because he never wanted to put himself forward. When he returned from the camps, friends—believing him dead—named Toulouse’s largest swimming pool after him, yet many locals still didn’t know his story. Algerian Jews, however, never forgot their champion.

In 2019, Nakache was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. Since then, books, plays, radio programs, and this film have revived his story. Léon Marchand’s recent Olympic success has also renewed interest, especially since both trained at the same Toulouse club. If my film helps restore Nakache’s legacy, I would be deeply proud.

Ron: In a noisy world, we need to make noise. If we are nominated, we hope to reach out to Leon Marchand—after all, he learned to swim in the Alfred Nakache pool in Toulouse. Athletes like him have immense influence and visibility.

What inspired you to create this short?

Florence: Beyond Nakache’s extraordinary life, I was drawn to the challenge of working with water—an element perfectly suited to hand-painted animation.

Where did the inspiration for the film’s visual style come from?

Florence: This is the animation technique I have always used, painting each movement directly under the camera. It’s difficult, but it allows for seamless, fluid transitions.

Water appears in nearly all my films. Here, I explored its many symbolic meanings: childhood rivers, swimming pools of adulthood, the sea, and even the pools at Auschwitz. In Nakache’s final swim, water becomes a passage between eras, with memories surfacing like bubbles. Animation allows him to move through time and memory in a way live action could not.

Any final thoughts?

Ron: Sport is often seen only as competition, but it is also a way to understand yourself, regenerate, and move forward. Today, sport has become overly politicized, leaving little room for self-discovery. I hope this film encourages a more human, collaborative, and healthy approach to sport.

You can watch the film below: