SXSW Film Preview: Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo

Bugs! Gross or amazing? According to the premise of Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo, a documentary directed by Jessica Oreck, our aversion to the insect and arachnid kingdoms may be culturally conditioned, rather than innate.

Oreck and the other producers of this film, one of whom is Akito Kawahara, a bi-cultural Japanese-American graduate entomology student, explore the bug-loving culture of Japan. In Japan, beetles are prized and sold for high prices; fathers and sons go bug-collecting together on weekends; insects take pride of place in literature and art. Oreck et al. look at the ways that this scientific and aesthetic interest has come about. Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo promises to be culturally enlightening, natch, but also to bring us face to face with some interesting and unusual specimens of the insect world.

"Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo" had its world premiere at SXSW on Saturday, and is playing twice more during the festival. Refer to SXSW Film Schedule for details.