A fish-farm-to-table journey through the history, culture, and environmental impact of the world's most desired delicacy.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Brian Gersten

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Thanks! So - before undertaking the film I actually worked as a fish cutter at a fish market in Chicago. I had never eaten caviar, but customers would periodically come into the store and buy some - and for me, I never understood why. I couldn't comprehend why someone would pay so much money for what to me were merely fish eggs. The film is essentially an exploration of the world of caviar and an attempt to answer some lingering questions about the food.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

All of us have our own ideas about what caviar is, who eats it, and why it has the reputation it does. Some of us have tried it, some of us would like to try it, and others never have and never will. In any case - whether you’ve eaten caviar or not - this film can tell us a great deal about human nature, and can give us important insights into the relationship we have with our food. I think audiences will learn way more than they ever thought possible about caviar by watching the film.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

"Caviar Dreams" focuses on the historical and cultural significance of caviar in the US and abroad, while commenting on the environmental impact of producing caviar and the need for sustainable farm-raised sturgeon in order to protect wild populations. It shows how our desire for luxury is at variance with the sustainability of that luxury. Ultimately, we hope to give audiences a greater understanding and appreciation for caviar and its role in society.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

I think the first treatment for the film was wildly experimental. We were going to have a wide variety of different caviar-related vignettes and stitch it all together. For example, we even filmed someone reciting a poem about caviar and used some interesting video projection techniques while the poem was being read but that ultimately got cut from the film. We settled on a more traditional storytelling approach in the end, which proved to be more impactful and obviously make much more sense.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

We've gotten incredible feedback thus far and it's really quite humbling. Audiences are engaged and laughing throughout our screenings (it is a fairly absurd and comedic documentary after all). And we continue to get accepted into a great number of film festival. We actually won "Best Short Documentary" at Longleaf Film Festival not too long ago.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Hmmm - I don't know that it has surprised me. If anything I think it is affirmation that we could make a funny and engaging film about caviar. We weren't sure if that was possible from the outset.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

We would love to get the word out about the film, and get audiences aware of the documentary.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

We continue to look for journalists that would be interested in writing about the film, and the real dream would be to find a distributor who is interested in buying/broadcasting the film.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I guess, from the beginning of making this film, our goal was - if an audience member has both laughed at something in the film and learned something from the film then we feel like it's a success. Ultimately, I just would like people to realize how absurd caviar is as a food item.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Is caviar worth eating? Not only monetarily but environmentally. Is it something that is sustainable? Is it wasteful? Is it just a luxury food item that rich people eat in order to show off that they're rich? Or is it an important part of world culture?

Would you like to add anything else?

Thanks so much for including us in www.wearemovingstories.com - we really appreciate the support!

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I'm working on a film about the last land dispute between the US and Canada, Liv is working on a story about her grandfather's service during WWII, and Wei is working on a story about healthcare in China.

Interview: July 2017

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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

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Caviar Dreams

A fish-farm-to-table journey through the history, culture, and environmental impact of the world's most desired delicacy.

Length: 15 mins

Director: Brian Gersten, Liv Dubendorf, & Wei Ying

Producer: Brian Gersten, Liv Dubendorf, & Wei Ying

Writer: Brian Gersten, Liv Dubendorf, & Wei Ying

About the writer, director and producer:

Brian Gersten, Wei Ying, and Liv Dubendorf are all graduates of Wake Forest University's Documentary Film Program. "Caviar Dreams" is the product of their collaborative thesis project. Brian is an award-winning director who got his start at Kartemquin Films, and has worked in almost every facet of documentary film-making over the last five years. Liv started her career in reality television, before discovering her passion for documentary storytelling. Wei is originally from China and has worked in the documentary film industry in both her home country and the US.

Key cast: Inga Saffron, Dirk Fucik, Jeff Hinshaw

Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Buyers/Distributors/Journalists

Social media handles: @caviarfilm

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaviarFilm

Twitter: https://twitter.com/caviarfilm

Website: https://www.caviardreamsfilm.com/

Funders: Kickstarter

Made in association with: The Documentary Film Program at Wake Forest University

Where can I see it in the next month? Sidewalk Film Festival