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Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation

Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation

Like so many of their generation, 12-year-olds Eric Zyla, Jayson Lamb and Chris Strompolos had a just a minor obsession with Indiana Jones, a character immortalized in American cinema by actor Harrison Ford in 1981. Unlike the other kids, however, these three boys made it their goal to successfully complete a shot-by-shot recreation of Steven Spielberg’s adventure classic in the backyards of their Mississippi homes—only this time with Strompolos underneath that famed fedora. This fan film to end all fan films took seven years of dedication, reimagining Spielberg and George Lucas’ masterpiece. Then it spent another 15 years migrating through the hands of underground fans at New York University’s Film Department, before it premiered in 2004 at Austin’s Alamo Draft House. The film began getting national attention: a story on NPR, a spot on NBC’s the Today show and a 10-page spread in Vanity Fair. Master horror director Wes Craven went so far as to call the film “phenomenal,” and Hollywood producer Scott Rudin (No Country for Old Men) has bought the rights for a feature with Paramount Pictures. For the area screening this weekend, Indiana Jones himself—the Chris Strompolos incarnation, that is—will be in attendance at Springville Center for the Arts, and he will be conducting a Q&A afterwards on his experience making what, according to Wired.com, is “the greatest fan film yet.” With a huge fan base and increasing media attention, the limited supply of tickets is certain to go fast, so make reservations immediately.

Saturday, December 8 at 8pm. Springville Center for the Arts, 37 N. Buffalo St.,

Springville (592-9038). $5