Attended University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Graduate Film Program in 1995, having just completed his film American Job. Chris met Mark Borchardt while editing American Job, and began filming a documentary about the making of
Mark's psychological thriller Coven. Both films played at the
Sundance Film Festival, and American Movie won the Grand Jury Prize for
Best Documentary. Sony bought the picture for $1 million.
On taking American Movie (1999) to the Sundance festival: "It was our
film and Blair Witch that people were talking about by midweek. At one
point the film's price went up half-a-million dollars in 10 minutes. It
was insane."
