Working as a waitress in a burlesque burger bar in former East Berlin, Jess Feast discovered a story she needed to tell: "It grabbed me and didn't let me go." The result - Cowboys & Communists - features in this year's Telecom NZ International Film Festivals.

The Wellington-based director's credits also include Flight of the Conchords - A Texan Odyssey, and she currently works in documentary development at production company The Gibson Group. "I'm a voyeur," she says, "and I love having an excuse to talk to all kinds of people about their lives."Working as a waitress in a burlesque burger bar in former East Berlin, Jess Feast discovered a story she needed to tell: "It grabbed me and didn't let me go." The result - Cowboys & Communists - features in this year's Telecom NZ International Film Festivals.

The Wellington-based director's credits also include Flight of the Conchords - A Texan Odyssey, and she currently works in documentary development at production company The Gibson Group. "I'm a voyeur," she says, "and I love having an excuse to talk to all kinds of people about their lives."During what hours of the day do you feel most inspired?
The hour of the day varies but coffee or wine helps.

How would a good friend describe your aesthetic or style?
I'm a gleaner so it tends to be quite eclectic.

What aspect of your creative practice gives you the biggest thrill?
The way ideas can spark anywhere, anytime.

Your film Cowboys & Communists features in this year's Telecom New Zealand International Film Festival. How did the project come about?
I was working as a waitress at 'White Trash Fast Food' - a late-night burlesque burger bar in former East Berlin, run by an American cowboy. When I discovered the restaurant space had once been a state-run, traditional German restaurant under Communism, it struck me as a fascinating contrast and a metaphor for social change in the city.

Once I started finding people like Horst, who has lived in the apartment upstairs since the Communist era, Cowboys & Communists moved from being an idea to being a story. It grabbed me and didn't let me go.

What was your biggest challenge while making the film?
I think having no money. I called on a lot of favours and people were incredibly generous but sometimes, as I was riding my production bike through the snow loaded with filming equipment, I did wonder what the hell I was doing.

How was the project funded?
Well, it wasn't funded until very late in the process. The New Zealand Film Commission came on board through the Digital Post Production Fund and I also received a lot of support from Gibson Group and Vanguard Films in Wellington. Making Cowboys & Communists really illustrated for me the lack of funding options for New Zealand documentaries that aren't aimed at TVNZ or TV3. I hope that can change.

What drew you to making documentaries?
I've always believed in the power of stories to open hearts and minds. I'm also a voyeur and I love having an excuse to talk to all kinds of people about their lives. I find the process of making documentaries really creative, there is so much to explore and the capacity to learn is endless.

What advice would you give aspiring documentary-makers?
Choose stories that sustain you - you may end up working on them for a long time. Learn to do everything - shoot, record sound, edit - but collaborate with good people whenever you can. Treat people's stories with respect and draw your own moral line because no one will do that for you.

Describe how the way you played as a child has influenced how you work as an adult.
I used to put on a lot of small plays and circus acts as a kid and invite my friends, my parents, the neighbours - whoever might be interested in humouring me. I guess it's not so different now.

How do you think your environment affects your work?
It has a huge effect. Environment is everything, from people to images to issues - all the things you collect when you're working on a project. Berlin was particularly interesting in that way. There's a sense of history everywhere you look.

Do you like to look at the big picture or focus on the details?
I think it's the combination of both that keeps things interesting.

Who or what has influenced you recently?
I just got back from Silverdocs, a documentary festival near Washington D.C. I saw incredible films from all over the world that ask people to engage in some of the big issues of our time. That was really inspiring.

If you could go back and choose a completely different career path to the one you've chosen, what would it be?
I'd like to work in sustainable development both in New Zealand and overseas. For now, I will just try to make films about it.

What place is always with you, wherever you go?
Waitarere Beach.

What's the best way to listen to music, and why?
Live. There's something about being in the same room as musicians - it's a two-way street.

You are given a piece of string, a stick and some fabric. What do you make?
Maybe a mobile projection screen -

What's the best stress relief advice you've ever been given?
Breathe.

What's great about today?
Winter sunshine.

Interview by Cass Hesom-Williams

17/7/07