Jim Sikora is a Chicago based American film director, writer, and producer and is considered a pioneer in DV filmmaking. Sikora is best known for his independent micro-budgeted feature films ''Walls in the City,'' starring Paula Killen, Bill Cusack, Tony Fitzpatrick, and

David Yow David Yow (born August 2, 1960) is an American musician and actor born in Las Vegas, Nevada and best known as the vocalist for the noise rock bands Scratch Acid and the Jesus Lizard. Yow's debut solo album, '' Tonight You Look Like a Spider'', w ...

of the rock band

The Jesus Lizard The Jesus Lizard is an American rock band formed in 1987 in Austin, Texas and based in Chicago, Illinois. They were "a leading noise rock band in the American independent underground… hoturned out a series of independent records filled with ...

, with a

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...

by The Denison/Kimball Trio; ''Bullet on a Wire'' starring Jeff Strong, Paula Killen, Lara Phillips,

, and Cinema of Transgression legend Richard Kern; ''Rock & Roll Punk'' which features members of

Hüsker Dü Hüsker Dü () was an American punk rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, bassist/vocalist Greg Norton, and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart. They first gained notabili ...

The Descendents The Descendents are an American punk rock band formed in 1977 in Manhattan Beach, California, by guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson. In 1979, they enlisted Stevenson's school friend Milo Aukerman as a s ...

, Big Black,

Tortoise Tortoises () are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin: ''tortoise''). Like other turtles, tortoises have a shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, and like oth ...

, and

Slint Slint was an American rock band from Louisville, Kentucky, formed in 1986. The band consisted of guitarist and vocalist Brian McMahan, guitarist David Pajo, drummer and vocalist Britt Walford, Todd Brashear (bassist on ''Spiderland''), and Etha ...

; ''My Charbroiled Burger with Brewer'' starring Mike Watt of Minutemen and

The Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Da ...

and Jack Brewer of Saccharine Trust. Sikora's films and videos have aired everywhere from MTV's '' 120 Minutes'' to PBS's ''Image Union''. His film ''Bullet on a Wire'' was shown in 18 film festivals in the United States, and worldwide, including the Rotterdam International Film Festival, The Munich International Film Festival, and in London at the ICA as part of the American Underground Cinema retrospective. The film also made Kevin Thomas's list as one of the best movies of 1998 in the LA Times. Sikora has had successful theatrical runs of his pictures in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Sikora (born James Vincent Lato III) was raised in Chicago, Illinois, and in the Chicago area. He attended Columbia College Chicago on the G.I. Bill after being honorably discharged from the U.S. Army. While at Columbia, he was classmates and contemporaries with cinematographers

Janusz Kamiński Janusz Zygmunt Kamiński (; born June 27, 1959) is a Polish cinematographer and director of film and television. He has established a partnership with Steven Spielberg, working as a cinematographer on his films since 1993. He won the Academy Aw ...

and

Mauro Fiore Mauro Fiore (born November 15, 1964) is an Italian-American cinematographer. He was born in Marzi, Calabria and moved to the US with his family in 1971. He attended Palatine High School in Palatine, Illinois, and graduated in 1982. He started o ...

. He has made music videos and promos for labels such as SST Records, Touch & Go, Amphetamine Reptile, Arista, and Rykodisk. The bands he's created videos and promos for are as varied and diverse as

Urge Overkill Urge Overkill is an American alternative rock band, formed in Chicago, Illinois, United States, consisting of Nathan Kaatrud, who took the stage name Nash Kato (vocals/guitar), and Eddie "King" Roeser (vocals/guitar/bass guitar). They are widely ...

The Frogs ''The Frogs'' ( grc-gre, Βάτραχοι, Bátrakhoi, Frogs; la, Ranae, often abbreviated ''Ran.'' or ''Ra.'') is a comedy written by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It was performed at the Lenaia, one of the Festivals of Dionysus in ...

, The Leaving Trains, Mike Watt, The Jesus Lizard,

Pegboy Pegboy is an American punk band from Chicago, Illinois with a relatively large cult following. They were founded in 1990 by John Haggerty (ex-guitarist for Naked Raygun), along with his brother Joe Haggerty (drums, formerly of The Effigies), Larr ...

, Mutts, Enuff Z' Nuff, The Screaming Trees, Greg Ginn of Black Flag, and The Roots. Jim has produced and directed the feature film ''The Earl'', written by internationally acclaimed playwright Brett Neveu, and ''The Critics'', written by novelist and playwright Adam Langer. His short films include ''Bring Me The Head of Geraldo Rivera'', named by Film Threat Magazine as one of the best underground films of the decade; ''Stagefright Chameleon'', and ''X-Mass '73''. Amongst the projects that Jim has in various stages of development are his screenplay ''I'll Die Tomorrow'', starring

Michael Shannon Michael Corbett Shannon (born August 7, 1974) is an American actor, producer, musician, and theater director. He is an off beat actor known for his on-screen versatility, performing in both comedies and dramas. He became known for his frequent ...

, and ''Beyond The Shadows'', written by

Terry Southern Terry Southern (May 1, 1924 – October 29, 1995) was an American novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and university lecturer, noted for his distinctive satirical style. Part of the Paris postwar literary movement in the 1950s and a companion to ...

References

External links

Mutts Music Video

Jim Sikora's Pioneering Digital Feature ''Rock & Roll Punk'' plays at the Gene Siskel Film Center

* ttps://ihrtn.net/skin-graft-a-z-denison-kimball-trio Dennison Kimball Trio - Soundtrack for ''Walls In The City'' by Jim Sikora
Austin Chronicle 1997 South By Southwest article on screening ''Bullet On A Wire''

Dope Gun's And Fucking Up Your Video Deck - Vol. 1-3 1990-94 on Amphetamine Reptile Records with the video for Les Paul Worries by Tar, directed by Jim Sikora, Peeling Eyeball Productions

Chicago Reader article on ''I'll Die Tomorrow'' with Michael Shannon

Reel 360 article: Jim Sikora feature ''The Critics,'' 12 years in the making

CUFF Chicago Underground Film Fest Jim Sikora video showcase

Chicago Underground Film Festival Features Filmmakers Far From Mainstream Review by Roger Ebert

Lumpen Television Interview with Filmmaker Jim Sikora

* ttps://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-07-01-9407010200-story.html Chicago Tribune article: Acting Bug Bites Jesus Lizard'S David Yow
Emphasis Entertainment page for ''Bullet On A Wire''

Indie Wire article about Laramie Film Company debuts Bullet On A Wire

Jonathan Rosenbaum on ''Bullet On A Wire''

Chicago Journal article on the film Critics, Directed by Jim Sikora

Vice Interview with David Yow About Baseball and Movies

Variety Magazine reviews ''Bullet On A Wire''

Filmmaker Magazine, Jim Sikora

Chicago Theater Beat Reviews film ''The Earl'', Directed by Jim Sikora

David Yow Is Done With Music, but His World Remains a Stage, Willamette Week

Digital Journal: Chicago Underground Film Festival Will Unspool 18 New Features; CUFF 2000 Rocks: Music and film collide in Jim Sikora's punk reminiscence ''My Char Broiled Burger With Brewer''

Jim Sikora at IFFR

* ttps://mubi.com/films/bullet-on-a-wire Mubi page: Bullet On A Wire {{DEFAULTSORT:Sikora, Jim American filmmakers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people