BFI Flare Interview: Filmmaker Nick Butler On Nature’s Role in Telling a Queer Story in Dark Comedy ‘Lunar Sway’

With experience as a casting director on major Hollywood productions such as “Downsizing,” the Oscar-winning “Room,” and after working with big names like Guillermo Del Toro, handling casting for the gothic horror “Crimson Peak,” Nick Butler shifts his focus to behind the camera. His latest work as a writer and director, “Lunar Sway” premieres at BFI Flare this year and is headlined by familiar faces—comprising “Gilmore Girls’” Liza Weil and Kaden Connors, who currently stars in the queer phenomenon “Heated Rivalry” (to name a few). Set in a desert town, the dark comedy follows protagonist Clive desperately seeking love while crossing paths with his estranged birth mother, a con artiste.

In this interview, Butler discusses how nature (particularly the moon) played a role in the aptly titled “Lunar Sway,” on working with his favorites, and calls for fellow queer creatives to push back against mainstream studios intent on putting LGBTQIA+ stories in a corner.

Vidal D’Costa for The Movie Buff: What drew you to filmmaking? Any storytellers and filmmakers who’ve influenced your own work?

Nick Butler: It’s a bit of a cliche backstory. I dug up an old Super 8 camera from the attic when I was a kid and have been wanting to make movies ever since. It’s been my goal for as long as I can remember. My taste is all over the map but I tend to appreciate movies that aren’t fully grounded in reality. I admire filmmakers like the Coen Brothers for their ability to create distinct worlds that feel completely unique to their movies. If you’re going to go through all the trouble of building a fictional world, why make it look and feel exactly like the one we already live in?

VD: I noticed the moon playing a key role in this film, from the title itself, the location, and the imagery. Could you talk about the conceptualization behind “Lunar Sway,” your creative process, and the motivations behind incorporating these lunar motifs heavily into the movie?

NB: I think this is a movie about our animal instincts. These characters are driven by their hormones, their infatuations, their survival instincts… all the parts of us that aren’t always logical or within the bounds of our control. There’s a sense that they’re at the mercy of unseen forces of nature. And the idea of being influenced by the full moon became a metaphor for that.

The visual aesthetics are a big part of this movie, and I found myself collecting images early on, when I was just beginning to write it. Usually, I would wait until later in the process to focus on the visuals but in this case, the environment and atmosphere became an entry point into the story. Because it’s a movie about con artists and our lead, Cliff, never knows who or what to believe, it always felt right to lace slightly surreal or heightened images and ideas into the story. So, the movie has a slightly stylized feel because of that.

VD: There are quite a few household names in “Lunar Sway.” How was the experience working with a star-studded cast? Did your actors/other members of the crew offer any creative feedback which made its way into the final cut?

NB: The cast was amazing. I’d been a big fan of Liza Weil’s for many years. Same with Douglas Smith. And our lead, Noah Parker, is rising star I’ve wanted to work with for a while now. So, we got very lucky with our cast. They were a dream to work with and we’ve all stayed friends. And I shared rough cuts of the film with them throughout the process. Liza in particular became a great sounding board for ideas throughout post.

VD: What are your thoughts on queer representation in the industry (particularly mainstream) and any changes you’d like to see or bring about yourself?

 NB: I really want to see us move past targeting movies to a niche audience just because they feature queer characters. The industry continues to underestimate the audience in that way. If you look at the popularity of a show like “White Lotus” or “Heated Rivalry,” you can see there’s a wide audience for stories about interesting characters regardless of their sexuality. But there’s still a fear about that. I’ve been told by buyers that my movies are too queer for a mainstream audience or not queer enough for a queer audience. I think those are very limiting ways of looking at it. Audiences are smarter than that.

VD: What’s next after “Lunar Sway?” Any other works, stories you wish to tell, genres you wish to dabble in, or even artists you wish to collaborate with in the near future?

NB: I’m hard at work on a new screenplay that I’m really excited about. It’s a very moody story with some supernatural elements to it and it’s been a lot of fun to play with some magic realism.

*”Lunar Sway” premiered at BFI Flare 2026 on March 22, 2026