Mothra Day is coming soon! After an exciting proclamation by the Mayor of Bloomington Indiana earlier this month, the ramp-up for this year’s G-Day in Bloomington is set to be even bigger than the last. With special guests Matt Frank and Ed Godzisewski in attendance, three Mothra-centric films being screened, and the event getting far more eyes on it than ever, Kaiju United corresponded with the two programmers behind this celebration of the Queen of the Monsters – Beth Bredlau and Chris McVillain – via email to discuss putting it all together, Chris’ kaiju tattoo work, and what fans can expect this summer.
Beth Bredlau
Kaiju United: Tell us about how the screenings came together. What made you choose to highlight Mothra this year?
Beth Bredlau: Showcasing Mothra was a no-brainer. Our first year, Godzilla Weekend 2025, kicked off with the original 1954 Ishiro Honda classic, and Mothra was the next logical step. Start with the King, then move to the Queen.
Kaiju United: The Mayor of Bloomington declared June 12th as Mothra Day. How does somebody get their local official to declare a day in honor of a Kaiju? How did this happen?
Beth Bredlau: LOL several emails! So, getting a local holiday declared is a process through city hall. You need to fill out the forms and write 6 WHEREAS statements, then it needs to be approved. The tricky part is figuring out which department processes the proclamations, and when the mayor signs them. Sometimes it is once a month, sometimes twice a month. If in doubt, go to your local city hall and ask the secretary. In 2025, I got my first mayoral proclamation done for Godzilla. June 27th 2025, is Godzilla Day in Bloomington, Indiana, as well.
Mayor Kerry Thompson also participated in our event. She read the proclamation, recorded it, and it showed at the event. As far as I know, she will be doing that again for Mothra. Here is the video:
Kaiju United: What can kaiju fans expect to experience at the event?
Beth Bredlau: Kaiju fans, cinema fans, and anyone looking for an awesome weekend can expect a good time. Chris and I have been planning and scheming for a year to make sure this year is bigger and better than our 2025 event. In addition to 4 awesome Godzilla films, all in their original, unedited formats with English subtitles, we have vendors, artists, speakers, and live performances. On Friday, June 12th, we show Mothra, and have a post-film panel with the legend, Ed Godziszewski! He is joining our event, and I am so pleased! Also, Matt Frank will be in-house selling, meeting fans, and appearing on our post-film panel.
On June 13th, we will show three films, and have speakers and performances, but something really special is our last showing. Ed [Godzisewski] is introducing GMK and showing BTS images and videos from his time on the sets!!! I have seen some of the images, and they are amazing. The crowd will be stunned. These images are so intimate and up close with the kaiju suits, sets, and more.
Kaiju United: Tell us about having Ed Godzisewski at the event as a speaker/presenter.
Beth Bredlau: Ed is great. He has really been a positive force this year, and I am so excited to meet him in person. I reached out to Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski for help and advice on my master’s research and essay (I did my MA on the 1956 GKOTM by Morse) around January. They were both so receptive and insightful, and I was able to segue the conversation into my film festival. The plan originally was to have both Steve and Ed, but Steve had a last-minute engagement. It feels amazing to have such a legend join us in our second year. We are still an up-and-coming, grassroots event, so all this growth is so exciting and humbling!
Kaiju United: Are there other kaiju films you would like to showcase and/or have their own day?
Beth Bredlau: Yes, and I will never tell. You will just have to follow and stay tuned
Kaiju United: Why specifically Bloomington, Indiana?
Beth Bredlau: I go to grad school at IU. I started my MA in Art History in 2024, and this fall, I start my PhD at the Media School. Originally, I am from Chicago, and until this past March, I was not sure where I would end up (for PhD or work), but IU Media accepted me, so it looks like I am a Hoosier now.
Kaiju United: Where did your scholarly interest in Godzilla stem from?
Beth Bredlau: My joke about that is: All roads led to Godzilla. I got my first BA in Art History, focusing on 20th-century transatlantic art, so I was interested in how art can travel and be introduced into new regions of the world. Then, I got a second BA in philosophy, specifically aesthetics. My interest is in everyday aesthetics and in how the passive, or low, arts guide everyday decisions. When I started my master’s program, I had a bit of an identity crisis because I found myself bored with modern art. So I had a meeting with my DGS (Department Head of Graduate Studies), and he encouraged me to show who I really am as a scholar. Who I am is someone who loves Godzilla. I am someone who loves kaiju films, the MonsterVerse, fan conventions, and more. I love nerd culture, and Atomic Creatures features and movies. So after that, I devoted my scholarship and research to Godzilla and have never looked back.
Chris McVillain
Kaiju United: What are some of the artists and vendors that will be at the show?
Chris McVillain: Locally, we have artists Jake Kujava and Jaclyn Wolf from the Pillar arts community selling some of their kaiju themed art. We will have the legendary Matt Frank, who I am so excited for – it’s unbelievable he’s coming. In my opinion, the most prolific working Godzilla illustrator, period. We will have Jim from BadKnees Tees selling our new official GWeekend tee shirt! A collaboration between myself and Jim. He’s not just a screen printer, he is very much an artist in his craft. Then myself representing my shop, Tattoo KAIJU, and not an artist himself, but we will have Billy Cooper of Geek Meet Indy and The Indiana Toy and Comic Expo (ITCE) my two favorite nerd centric conventions in this area. Just had Geek Meet last weekend and as someone who’s vended for several years at these kind of things, I’ve never worked a show I enjoy more.
Kaiju United: How can we support our local artists?
Chris McVillain: Oh, that’s easy: Buy their art. It seems simple, I know, but in a world of disposable crap there’s nothing more valuable than art. Beyond that, I suppose sharing their/our posts on socials. The Al Gore Rhythm has not been kind to creatives as of late. Save our posts, share our posts, buy our art.
Kaiju United: What draws you to the world of kaiju?
Chris McVillain: I’ve been obsessed since I was sat in front of the tv in the early 80s by my then very young and very overwhelmed mom lol. I’m a creature of pop culture no doubt, 80s/90s cartoons, horror movies, science fiction, comic books, and that era of wrestling. Kaiju films were so different to me because it combined the fantasy of the comics and cartoons with a little bit of that monster thing I was so drawn to in horror films and the one on one action of wrestling and fighting games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. It was the culmination of everything my young brain thought was cool.
Kaiju United: Have you done any really awesome kaiju tattoos that you can share?
Chris McVillain: I have done quite a few since I opened KAIJU, I will showcase a few of my favorites:
Kaiju United: Tell us about collaborating with Beth on this event!
Chris McVillain: Well, it started when I saw a Facebook post about it happening one day while I was hanging out on the porch at my shop. My initial thought was, “They’re not doing this without me!” So I called the Mayor’s office, the Art History Department at IU [Indiana University], and the Buskirk-Chumley Theater to threaten that I would be in the street vending on my own if they didn’t include me. But Beth was immediately welcoming and brought me in with less than 6 weeks until the event.
Kaiju United: We’ve heard about the films and a few artists/vendors. What is everything happening at the event? There’s GMK, Mothra, vendors, artists, Matt Frank, etc. Can you break it all down for us?
Chris McVillain: On Friday, we have the original Mothra on the big screen followed up by a Q and A panel with Beth, myself, Matt Frank and Ed Godziszewksi. Saturday is the big day with Mothra Vs Godzilla, Destroy All Monsters, and GMK. Ed, Matt and I will be introducing the films, plus we have a short animated film to start us off by local filmmaker Conray. After that, we will have a brief interlude with my amazing wife Madam McVillain doing her Mothra dance performance. She is an accomplished burlesque performer that hosts a quarterly show in Indianapolis, “Freak Show,” with drag, burlesque, comedy clowns, fire performers, and a menagerie of weirdos. She has built this act for this show so it is a rated PG performance (We promise in case any of the parents are worried!). I will be giving away a couple tattoo gift certificates for the best-dressed Kaiju fan as well as entering everyone who purchases any art from my shop in a drawing to win some tattoo credits. It’s going to be an all-day Kaiju celebration and we hope to see you all there!
Get you tickets NOW – they are selling out fast!
Mothra Day officially takes place in Bloomington, Indiana on June 12th, the same weekend as the screenings. Fore more updates on the event and various festivities that will take place in the future, follow Beth Bredlau @godzillainbloomington2025. Chris continues to own and operate Tattoo Kaiju in the local area and Beth is wrapping up her doctoral thesis on the Godzilla franchise. Stay tuned for additional updates on Kaiju United.
