deadCenter: Oklahoma filmmaker profiles

This article ran in the Friday Weekend LOOK section of The Oklahoman. It was written by Nathan Poppe and Dusty Somers.

Bright lights and movie stars are closer than you think.

Now in its 10th year, the deadCenter Film Festival, continuing today through Sunday in downtown Oklahoma City, is playing host to some big films this year, including a new restoration of Fritz Lang’s silent classic “Metropolis,” but local filmmakers are getting a spot in the limelight as well.

Oklahoma-based films “The Rock ‘n’ Roll Dreams of Duncan Christopher” and “1 in 3” are two of the feature-length efforts from local directors that will have Oklahoma City premieres at the festival this weekend.

‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Dreams’
Reality might be stranger than the wildest dreams of filmmakers Justin Monroe and Jack Roberts.
The duo spent roughly two years weaving together “The Rock ‘n’ Roll Dreams of Duncan Christopher,” a rock opus filmed in Tulsa that combines the story of karaoke stars and the songs of local musicians such as Sherree Chamberlain, Mason Remel and Colourmusic. The film screens at 7 p.m. Saturday in Kerr Auditorium, 123 Robert S. Kerr Ave.

“It’s been a journey,” Monroe said. “It’s dear to our heart. … We’ve connected with Oklahoma in the making of it.”

And some of those Oklahoma connections go way back. Roberts said his father was a bailiff at the downtown Tulsa courthouse and Monroe’s father practiced law there.

And a little further back. Not only did the filmmakers’ grandfathers play Western swing music at Cain’s Ballroom, they used to gamble at Tulsa horse race tracks together.

“We thought it was a natural fit to start gambling in (making) movies,” Roberts said. “We talked about making a movie in Oklahoma. (We) just needed the right script.”

It took Roberts three years to finish the “Duncan” script. After Roberts left West Hollywood for Tulsa, he pleaded with Monroe to join him.