"Jesus Fish" hits below the (Bible) belt

Bucking the current trend of family-friendly Christian films, “Jesus Fish” – a collection of vignettes about a Bible-study group – isn’t afraid to get its hands or mouth dirty, and Tulsans who aren’t afraid to take in this gritty indie flick will get one great opportunity to do so at its Red Carpet Invitational Screening, set for 7 p.m. on January 10 at the Riverwalk Theater in Jenks.  Presented by Jackson Productions, in association with The Right Guy Productions, the film will be followed by a Q&A session with the cast and crew hosted by the Oklahoma Movie Makers.

While telling a tale of faith and redemption, “Jesus Fish” embraces the intense and visceral feel of modern cinema.  Two young men hit someone on a deserted road.  Three young ladies befriend a tough-but troubled-hooker and soon find themselves trapped in the home of a cruel and lecherous meth dealer.  And one young man falls into despair when everything in his life comes crashing down around him – before he finds a shotgun.  A fist in the face of "religious" Christianity, “Jesus Fish” is a dark comedy, with a light at the end of the tunnel.

The feature-length film – which will be entered in the South By Southwest and Bare Bones Film Festivals – was shot entirely in the Tulsa area.  Its all-Oklahoman cast includes Matt Lord and Jennifer Abels (appearing in the upcoming horror movie “Please Don't Feed The Zombies”), veteran stage actors Rob Harris (seen recently in Sapulpa Community Theatre’s “Arsenic and Old Lace”), Chrissy Lewis (from Muskogee Little Theatre’s staging of “The Full Monty”), Starr Hardgrove (who appeared in the Heller Theater’s production of “Rocket Man”), Allison Kirkpatrick (seen in the Nightingale Theatre’s run of “Proof”), Amy Harris (who last appeared in the Oklahoma film “Hookers”), and Cevin Behe (who can be seen in the upcoming film “Dark Lineage”).  

The soundtrack consists largely of local artists, including Wendy Nichol, Fly Me Anywhere, Standing Ape Count, The Afterglow, Chuk Cooley & The Demon Hammers, Janet Mayson, Ronnie Deane and James Pesch.  The original score was composed and performed by Lydia Ashton and Matt Lord.

“Jesus Fish” was written by Titus Jackson and Matt Lord.  Jackson, who directed and edited the film, is a free-lance artist who grew up in Harlem, New York, before moving to Broken Arrow at the age of 13.  Together with Rob Harris, Jackson and Lord set out to produce a film based on the idea of “taking the characters in ‘The Omega Code’ and dropping them in the middle of ‘Reservoir Dogs.’ "  Kyle Claney, a long-time Jackson/Lord cohort with an eye for the edgy and artistic, directed the photography. 

Tickets for the screening are available for $6 by e-mail request to jesusfishmovie@hotmail.com.  Those under 17 are not permitted without an adult.

For more information contact Rob Harris at (918) 806-6136 or Titus Jackson at (918) 384-8657, or e-mail jesusfishmovie@hotmail.com or visit the Web site at http://www.myspace.com/jesusfishmovie