An administrivia note: we still have a couple of SXSW previews to push out over the next two days, but starting this afternoon we’re going to start posting full-fledged reviews of films in advance of the festival’s opening on Friday. Make sure to check our SXSW 2008 category for all the goodies.Now, for today’s preview. Probably the only documentary in recent memory featuring appearances from both Weird Al Yankovich and Jello Biafra, Nerdcore Rising (premiering at SXSW on Sunday as part of the 24 Beats Per Minute program) delves into a subgenre of hip hop that’s all about nerdery. The trailer for the doc can be found above, and director Negin Farsad answers the 4 Questions We’re Asking Everyone below.

Tell us about your movie. Who did you work with, why did you make it? Give us the reductive, 25-word or less, “It’s like [pop culture reference a] meets [pop culture reference b]!” pitch, then explain what the quick and dirty sell leaves out.

Nerdcore Rising is like Battlestar Galactica meets 8 Mile.

Basically, its a documentary that explores a rapper who’s trying to make it – though in this instance the pseudo-fictionalized Eminem is being played by lovably geeky and lyrically speedy, MC Frontalot, the godfather of Nerdcore hip hop. And, like Eminem, before being a rapper Front’s life was hard – though that hardship was less financial and more algorithm-related. Frontalot used to be a web coder/designer but decided to invent a new genre of hip hop, drop all the bandwidth, and form a band (puns!). Also, I’d like to note that Eminem and MC Frontalot happen to share exactly the same skin color though I believe their similarities end there.

But, other similarities pick up with Battlestar Galactica because Frontalot is a Cylon. Kidding. Because the film takes place in outerspace. Kidding. Because Frontalot is a big geek and he really loves fictional space odysseys as do his fans. In fact, his fans are the real stars of the movie because throughout the film they share with us their love of video games, their obsession with Star Wars, their weakness for table-top gaming, and, of course, an unabashed belief in the Nerdcore hip hop. They provide the proof that Nerdcore isn’t simply about one nerdy guy with “thick-ass birth control glasses” (as someone in the film describes them) but it’s really about a movement, complete with die-hard fans. Fans that have been looking for a space to bob their heads to strident hip hop beats with lyrics that mean something to them. Nerdcore is that space and Frontalot is making their heads bob.

Do you have a day job/a non-filmmaking occupation that raises money for your filmmaking efforts? Tell us about it.

Accounting, law, medicine, and standup comedy have to be the most financially stable professions and my parents are real happy that of that list I chose standup. So, if my dream career as a filmmaker doesn’t work out, I can totally fall back on the big-bucks job I’ve got on the comedy club circuit….

Yes, I ridiculously chose to live in a constant state of heartache because both my day job and the indie-filmmaker moonlighting are uncertain career paths. Though, the overhead costs in comedy are very low so I manage to earn my keep by doing clubs and universities and occasionally landing the odd producer gig at joints like Comedy Central. The money for the film has come from friends and family (and from producers’ Kimmy Gatewood/Andrew Mendelson’s friends and family). We’ve also managed to raise a fair share of funds from the film’s fans – strangers who believe in the film enough to give us money. And we love them for it!

Have you been to SXSW before? If so, tell us about your funniest story from the experience. If not, what are you looking forward to re: the festival and/or the city of Austin?
I have never been to SXSW or Austin before! I’m looking forward to seeing some hilarious marketing antics at the festival. I hear that a lot of folks go there with street performer-style methods of film promotion and I’m dying to see what that’s all about. It sounds both festive and ridiculous. As for Austin, I’m looking forward to having a drink in its famously fun neighborhoods as well as gorging on some authentic BBQ.

Let’s get hypothetical: You’re on death row. The night of your execution, you’re allowed to watch any two films of your choice. What would you pick for your last-night-on-Earth double feature?

One of the films would be Better Off Dead – John Cusask is at his dreamiest and most hilarious in that one. Sometimes, when I’m feeling down, I think about the scene where the mother is casually cooking an alien-like creature with tentacles on the stove. I think it’s important to die with that image in my mind.

Can I bend the rules a bit and opt for a DVD of a TV show instead of a second film? Because my dying wish would definitely include Arrested Development – any episode where David Cross’s character is on standby for the Blue Man Group. The occasional blue thumbprint in odd places in the model home was one of those subtle comedic gems that never got enough credit. I want my dying words to the world to be: “Blue finger prints are hilarious!”