Q&A with Joseph Kahn, Director of DUST’s Exclusive Premiere “SWIPED”

This week DUST premiered its latest exclusive sci-fi short film “Swiped” directed by Joseph Kahn. The film is a comedic take on how a millennial deals with the unexpected consequences of swiping himself on a dating app.

Joseph Kahn is no stranger to directing. In 2004, he made his feature film debut with the Warner Brother’s action film Torque and, in 2011, his film Detention premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival where it was bought by Sony Picture. In 2015 he released the the viral short film “Power/Rangers” starring James Van Der Beek and Katie Sackhoff. He is currently in post production on his latest independent film Bodied set in the world of underground battle rap.

Speaking of music, Kahn has directed music videos for hundreds of artists such as Taylor Swift, Aerosmith, Wu Tang Clan, and Beyoncé to name only a few and has won several MTV Music Video Awards and Grammys. Additionally, he has directed countless commercials and won a Clio and an Emmy for his Fox/Nascar campaigns.

Now that you know a little bit about this incredible director, let’s take a look at some of Kahn’s answers to our favorite sci-fi themed questions.

If the world you created in your film became a reality, is that a world you would want to live in?

I think this is the actual world we live in today. These super specific dating apps that codify a potential date into an exact match of yourself results in you trying to date yourself.

Is there a sci-fi world you’d buy a one-way ticket to?

Every sci fi world seems to be on the verge of death and destruction. Even peaceful Star Trek worlds always have some weird twist where the perfect people are eating imperfect people. No thanks.

Name a sci-fi character you relate to on a spiritual level.

Darth Vader. I would like to force choke people who annoy me. That’s awesome.

Friend or Foe: humanoid robots with advanced artificial intelligence? 

Frenemy.

What if robots start making their own sci-fi films? Will you support them in their endeavors?

Wait, these studio movies are made by humans? Only if they make Pirates 6. Love that series.

You’ve gotta go through some bad ideas to get to the good ones. Tell us one of your bad ideas. 

I made a sarcastic motorcycle movie for Warner Bros starring Ice Cube based on Japanese animation aesthetics. Who is the audience for that? Just me.

How do you get past the bad ones to find your spark?

Survive.

Do you consider yourself more of an analog or digital person?

1010101

What kind of balance do you strike between the two?

I still wear a Rolex I bought in 2001 even though I like my smartwatch better because I feel bad I spent so much money on it.

Is there a disconnect between the technology you make films about and the technology that you make films with?

No, I prefer shooting digitally. I am not one of those dudes that think shooting on film is better. Screw that.

For more about Joseph Kahn and to see some of his past work, be sure to check out his website josephkahn.com.