Back in 1982, Eric Zala and Chris Strompolos began their shot-by-shot remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark at the tender age of twelve. It would take them seven years to almost finish their film, entitled Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation, before they had a massive falling out over a girl and abandoned the project just one sequence shy of completion.

Many years later they came to a reconciliation and decided to finish their film, an event chronicled in the new documentary Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made. That doc, along with Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation, will be playing the SXSW festival this year and now we have a thoroughly engaging trailer to share with you. The doc was directed by Jeremy Coon and Tim Skousen. It stars Eric Zala, Chris Strompolos, Jayson Lamb, Angela Rodriguez, Guy James Klender, Eli Roth, Harry Knowles, John Rhys Davies, Mark Spain, and Francisco Gonzales. Check out the trailer below.

Here's the synopsis for Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made:

In 1982, two 11 year-olds in Mississippi set out to remake their favorite film: Raiders of the Lost Ark. It took seven turbulent years that tested the limits of their friendship and nearly burned down their mother's house. By the end, they had completed every scene except one... the explosive airplane scene. Thirty years later, they attempt to finally realize their childhood dream by building a replica of the 75-foot "Flying Wing" plane from Raiders in a mud pit in the backwoods of Mississippi... and then blow it up! This is the story behind the making of what is known as "the greatest fan film ever made."

I won't be at SXSW but I have to admit I'm interested in checking this out.

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