Take 5 with "Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone"

Chris Metzler

Lev Anderson

 As we gear up for the Oxford Film Festival 2011 to be held at the Malco Studio Theater on Feb. 10-13, 2011, we thought we might introduce you to some of the people behind the movies we can't wait to show you.

Meet Take 5 filmmakers, Chris Metzler & Lev Anderson with ""Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone." 
For the full schedule and description of the films, visit www.oxfordfilmfest.com.

Q. 1: In 140 characters or less, describe your movie and why someone should see it.

A: EVERYDAY SUNSHINE is a story about music, history, fear, courage and funking on the one.
Q. 2: Biggest lesson learned in getting the film made? Best part in getting the film made?

A: Any project we work on as documentary filmmakers affects you deeply because as you tell personal stories about others, you inevitably learn things about yourself. Perhaps the most significant thing we learned from Angelo and Norwood, who are the primary subjects in the documentary, is to keep pursuing your artistic goals regardless of the potential financial rewards and to keep it fun. Of course, we would like to make a lot of money making our films, but the most important thing is being satisfied with an end product and in a documentary's case that you feel that you have served the story well. We have achieved that and we enjoyed ourselves, so we think that enthusiasm translates to the screen when the audience is watching the film.

The best part of making the film was bringing the camera into the punk rock mosh pits at concerts!
Q. 3: Tell us about you. What is your movie making background?

A: CHRIS METZLER (co-director, co-producer)
After graduating from USC with a degree in business and cinema, Chris' film career has taken him from the depths of agency work, to coordinating post-production for awful American movies seen late at night in Belgium. His film directing and producing work has resulted in him criss crossing the country with the aid of caffeinated beverages. He eventually made his way in the Nashville country and Christian music video industries, before finally forsaking his soul to commercial LA rock n' roll. These misadventures eventually culminated in him winning a Billboard Magazine Music Video Award.

His feature length directorial debut was the offbeat environmental documentary, PLAGUES & PLEASURES ON THE SALTON SEA, which was narrated by legendary counterculture filmmaker and "King of Trash" John Waters. A cult favorite, the film was released theatrically in the United States and broadcast nationally on the Sundance Channel (and played at the 2005 Oxford Film Festival).

LEV ANDERSON (co-director, co-producer)
After graduating from Beloit College, and taking just five years to design the cities of the future, Lev left the bureaucracy of Urban Planning and jumped feet first into filmmaking. As a fine art photographer with works exhibited in San Francisco, Japan, and Mexico City, he has honed his unique perspective to create dynamic images with a sharp eye for finding contradiction and beauty where least expected. His first attempt at capturing the magic of music on video was at 12 years old, when, after attending a Suicidal Tendencies concert with his father, the two produced a fully dramatized lip-sync rendition of their song "Institutionalized."
Q. 4: What's your dream distribution plan for the film?

A: The film goes on to a national theatrical release and broadcast, with the band and film being featured guests on "The Colbert Report." Q. 5: What does the future hold in store for your film and for you?

A: Lev is working on a film about the City of Irvine, California tentatively titled MODEL CITY which explores the master-planned community that has been named by the FBI as the safest city in America five years in a row. The film explores the city which i becoming a model for other cities in the U.S and the burgeoning nouveau-riche developments in China, highlighting the successful aspects of the city ranging from environmental innovations and racial diversity to the darker aspects of post-suburban America in the 21st Century. 

And Chris is currently exploring documentary stories involving evangelical backpacker Christians, taxidermists, and gay truckers. A trio of outsider stories.