ACF 1018: Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo on DVD & PBS tomorrow, May 17, 2011

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo on DVD 5.17.11 via Factory 25

Edited-for-TV version airs on PBS Independent Lens series
the same day as the DVD release

"A doorway to something huge and eternal." -- Time Out New York

"Bewitching" -- The Village Voice

"Finds insights and forges connections that transcend squeamishness"
-- Film Comment Magazine

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo delves into the mystery of Japan's age-old love affair with insects. From the fabled first emperor who dubbed Japan the "Isle of the Dragonflies," to the cricket-selling businesses of the 1800s, and finally to modern-day Tokyo where a beetle recently sold for $90,000, insects inspire an enthusiasm in Japan seen nowhere else in the world.

Interspersed with the philosophies of anatomist Dr. Takeshi Yoro, one of Japan's best-selling authors, and laced with poetry, literature, and art inspired by insects, the film is a quiet, rhythmic observation of traditional Japanese values and the intense appreciation of something so seemingly mundane. It challenges filmgoers to observe the world from an uncommon perspective that might change not only the way we think about bugs, but about life.

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award, won the Cinema Eye Spotlight Award, and was released theatrically in over 40 cities across the United States. The film will have its television premier on the PBS series Independent Lens on May 17, 2011, the same day as the DVD release.

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo trailer.

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo webpage