• Director(s):

    MITSCH (JACQUES)

  • Producer(s):

    ARTE FRANCE

  • Territories:

    Worldwide.

  • Production year:

    2003

  • Language(s):

    German, French

  • Rights:

    TV, DVD, INTERNET

The flapping of a butterfly's wings in Paris can cause a hurricane in New York a few weeks later. This notion can be applied to other areas than the weather...

This image was used by meteorologist Edward Lorenz in 1961 to describe what has become known as the "Butterfly Effect". Lorenz discovered that in weather systems, a minute alteration to a single element may be slowly amplified over a period of time, so that it ends up spectacularly modifying the expected scenario. This notion can be applied to other areas than the weather. In the context of human societies, apparently insignificant modifications of our behaviour can lead to revolutions.
Start talking about butterflies, and someone always ends up mentioning the Butterfly Effect. A butterfly flutters its wings in Papua New Guinea, and human beings end up saving the tropical rainforest. A businessman does a deal in a Tokyo skyscraper, thousands of dollars change hands in Paris, and a dream comes true for a male nurse from Toulouse. The flapping of a butterfly's wings can trigger off an explosion of human energy and enthusiasm that leads to an economic and environmental chain-reaction.