By: Izumi Hasegawa March 31, 2015
In this exclusive interview, director David Zellner talks about the Internet legend that inspired his new independent film Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter. A disillusioned Japanese woman goes on a quixotic quest to find a lost treasure cache, which she believes is buried in the snows of Minnesota. Zellner talks about his film’s cross-cultural aspects (it was shot in Japan and the U.S., with a Japanese and American cast, speaking in two languages), its low-key yet fantastical tone, and working with Academy Award nominee Rinko Kikuchi.