Filmaker Jessica Oreck, who is also an animal keeper and docent at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, will host a talk back following the screening.
FilmmakerMagazine.com says Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo, Oreck’s first feature, premiered this year at SXSW.
Its subject is the historical and current fascination for insects in Japanese culture, and it takes a “three-dimensional” approach to the topic, mixing together beautiful images of the insects themselves, individual stories of workers in various sectors of the insect business, interviews with historians, b-roll of swarming crowds, all draped in a Japanese voice-over that delves into science, poetry, folktales and pop culture. “My main goal with anything I work on is to create a sense of wonder,” says Oreck, and she succeeds.
Sold live in vending machines and department stores, provided as a toy with fast food and starring in the #1 selling videogame, insects inspire as much enthusiasm in Japan as they instill fear elsewhere. An astonishing journey of discovery, Beetle Queen visits nature preserves, Zen temples and Buddhist Shrines, exploring a new and unusual world of creatures and senses.
Photo Credit: Richard Koek via FilmMakerMagazine.com