Documentary
(2009 USA / Japan 90 MIN HDCAM)
Directors: Jessica Oreck
Screenwriters: Jessica Oreck
Producers: Jessica Oreck
Director of Photography: Sean Price Williams
Editor: Theo Angell, Jessica Oreck
Music: J.C. Morrison, Nate Shaw
Far more fascinating than any entomology lesson, American filmmaker Jessica Oreck's debut captures the essence of a centuries-old Japanese subculture that has an acute enthusiasm for insects. Her unconventional approach to science education is never dull, unearthing a surprising national love affair with bugs. Oreck sets her documentary to the rhythm of traditional Japanese culture, with its attention to detail, appreciation of harmony and search for revelation in what to others might seem mundane. The philosophies of revered author and anatomist Dr. Takeshi Yoro's are woven in, too, as the viewer is encouraged, as Oreck tell us, to "observe the world from an uncommon perspective on nature, beauty, that will shift the familiar to the fantastic. It just might change not only the way we think about bugs, but the way we think about life."
Biography
Jessica Oreck
When not working as an animal keeper and docent at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, Oreck finds ways to create a sense of wonder in the world. She is now producing several animated science shows, building her own museum exhibition and researching her next feature film.
Back to AFI Project: 20/20