Language barriers, adverse climates, and the thrill of a lack of civilization are kept at bay by a screen. Lived experience and a fascination with man’s relation to the natural world culminate in Jessica Oreck’s works of independent cinema.
At 7 p.m. today, audiences will get the chance to listen to the filmmaker and view her work at FilmScene, 118 E. College St.
The event will feature Aatsinki: The Story of Arctic Cowboys and a few short works. Aatsinki is about a family of reindeer herders thriving in Finnish Lapland. Oreck described it as “a study of hard work, hard-earned leisure, and an intricate bond between man and nature.”
“I lived with them for about a year and a half, and this film is very true to my experience there,” Oreck said. “To me, it feels like that year represented in less than an hour and a half.”
Oreck’s path to making films focused on ethnobiology was a steady one. By 14, after seeing David Attenborough’s Private Life of Plants, she said she felt her path had been illuminated.
“I started work at the American Museum of Natural History,” she said. “I realized what was more interesting to me than just making a film about nature was making a film about the way that people look at nature and the way that our social norms dictate how we perceive ourselves in relation to nature.”
FilmScene Program Director Andy Brodie said he brought in Oreck for exactly this reason.
“[Oreck’s] films are really beautiful not only because she has a terrific eye for detail but also for her sensitivity and curiosity about the natural world and how we interact with it,” he said.
This focus has drawn audiences in far and wide, and Oreck said she guesses this had something to do with her films’ personal touch.
“I make work that feels very personal to me and is very universal at the same time,” she said. “Even though each film is about a very specific culture, I think the themes are global. Having it … mean something to me is the best way to have it mean something to other people.”
Oreck has been to Iowa City once before on a 15,000-mile, two-month road trip filming men at work, her first time filming in America and in a place where her first language was standard.
“It was a fabulous summer,” she said. “I never stayed in a place for more than two nights and just met incredible people. It changed my life, changed the way I view America. I fell in love with the country and its people. I drove through Iowa City, and I just felt so welcome. It was so beautiful. I don’t know, the sky was incredible. All of Iowa felt sort of magical to me.”
Speaking on the “Iowa nice” stereotype, Oreck said she doesn’t think that term is entirely accurate.
“I always think of ‘nice’ as sort of an underhanded compliment; ‘nice’ is how you describe someone that you don’t have anything else to say about,” she said. “Iowans are more than ‘nice,’ they’re warm, and open-hearted, and just so welcoming.”
Oreck has ideas for future projects but nothing concrete yet, she said.
That’s OK. We’ll wait.
FILM
What: An Evening with Jessica Oreck: Short Films + Aatsinki
When: 7 p.m. Today
Where: FilmScene, 118 E. College