Karina on SpoutBlog

As SXSW 2009 approaches we’ll be asking filmmakers to spill the superficial details about their films, to tell us all the deep personal details of what makes them tick, and –– new this year! –– reveal who they had to sleep with, in the incestuous conspiracy-minded secret society that is the wider SXSW community, in order to get their film programmed at the festival.

Our latest installment: Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo, a documentary by entomologist Jessica Oreck (and shot by Sean Williams, the cinematographer of Frownland) about the affinity for insects in Japanese culture. You can watch the visually stunning trailer for the film on its website; Oreck answers The 5 Questions We Ask Everyone Below.

Tell us about your movie. Who did you work with, why did you make it? Give us the reductive, 25-word or less, “It’s like [pop culture reference a] meets [pop culture reference b]!” pitch, then explain what the quick and dirty sell leaves out.

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo is like Blade Runner meets an early ‘90’s Harun Farocki documentary, but it’s about Japan’s zeal for insects – not the future of the human race.

It all started with my sister in an airport in Baltimore.  There’s a cute Japanese guy sitting next to her – they strike up a conversation.  He says he’s an entomologist.  She says, “My sister’s an entomologist!”  One thing leads to another – [then] it’s me and my cameraman staying at his parent’s in Shizuoka, while he introduces us to his entomologist friends.

Later, my best friend (who happens to be from Tokyo) replaced him as translator/producer and we shot the whole thing in 6 weeks.  It took me a while to start editing, but with a kick-start from bearded Theo Angell, everything came together.  I had a few friends work on music (including my best friend/translator/producer) and found a soul mate in my narrator.  This makes it all seem so easy.  But at the time it didn’t feel that way.

Do you have a day job/a non-filmmaking occupation that raises money for your filmmaking efforts? Tell us about it.

I work as an animal keeper and docent at the American Museum of Natural History.  But that job would never pay enough to finance any movie.

Have you been to SXSW before? If so, tell us about your funniest story from the experience. If not, what are you looking forward to re: the festival and/or the city of Austin?

I was at SXSW two years ago when my friend Ronnie Bronstein’s movie [Frownland] was showing.  My trip was very brief and I was mostly just overwhelmed.  I am nervous, but looking forward to this year.

Let’s get hypothetical: You’re on death row. The night of your execution, you’re allowed to watch any two films of your choice. What would you pick for your last-night-on-Earth double feature?

I would ask for, without pause, Tokyo Olympiad.  Most perfect movie of all time – ceaselessly unexpected and utterly brimming with hope.  Then I might ask for something like Bend of the River.  I can’t help myself when it comes to tough men, spurs and that highly stylized drama of ‘50’s Westerns.  Or maybe, if I were really about to die, I would resort to something from my childhood, like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

There’s been some criticism that the only way to get into SXSW is by being a part of an “incestuous scene where everybody knows everybody.” So who did *you* have to sleep with to get in? Metaphorically or literally: are there any SXSW filmmaker(s) past or present that you’re close with personally and/or professionally, and how have those relationships helped or hurt the process of producing your film and getting it seen?

My cameraman shot Frownland and Yeast which played at SXSW 07 and 08 respectively.  And he also happens to be my boyfriend.  Does that count?