Source: Drafthouse Films
AUSTIN, TEXAS- Wednesday, January 6, 2016 – Drafthouse Films has acquired the worldwide rights to Jeremy Coon and Tim Skousen’s Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made, a documentary about two friends’ lifelong journey to complete their passion project: a shot-for-shot remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark. An inspiring testament to creative passion and the powerful role of cinema, Raiders! has been a hit on the festival circuit, screening at such festivals as SXSW, DOC NYC, Fantasia International Film Festival and more.
After Steven Spielberg’s classic filmwas released almost 35 years ago, three 11-year-old boys from Mississippi set out on what would become a 7-year-long labor of love and tribute to their favorite film: a faithful, shot-for-shot adaptation of the action adventure film. They finished every scene…except one; the film’s explosive airplane setpiece.
Over two decades later, the trio reunited with the original cast members from their childhood in order to complete their masterpiece. Featuring interviews with John Rhys Davies, Eli Roth and more, Raiders! is the story of the project’s culmination, chronicling the friends’ dedication to their artistic vision-mixed in with some movie magic-to create the greatest fan film ever made.
“Raiders! is a perfect brand fit for us,” said Drafthouse Films COO James Emanuel Shapiro. “And we’re proud to continue the legacy of the truly greatest fan film ever made!”
“We couldn’t be happier in partnering with a bunch of true film fans like Drafthouse Films to release Raiders!.” said director Tim Skousen. “It’s the perfect match for our story about three film crazed kids spending their entire childhood recreating the all-time classic,Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
“Alamo Drafthouse and Tim League were instrumental in these kids’ adaptation being discovered over a decade ago,” said director Jeremy Coon, “And they have been so supportive as we made our documentary over the last two years. It’s great to keep it in the family with a Drafthouse Films release. We couldn’t be more thrilled.”
Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made will see a limited theatrical release across North America in the summer of 2016, alongside a variety of VOD and digital platforms, with a Blu-ray/DVD release to follow later in the year.
Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made is a production of Jeremy Coon Productions, and was produced by Coon and Skousen. Kyle Newman executive produced. The documentary’s main subjects are Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala and Jayson Lamb. The deal was negotiated by James Emanuel Shapiro on behalf of Drafthouse Films and Linzee Troubh on behalf of Cinetic Media.
About Drafthouse Films
Drafthouse Films, the film distribution arm of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, is a curated brand of provocative, visionary and artfully unusual films new and old from around the world. Following the earnestly simple motto of “sharing the films we love with widest audience possible,” Drafthouse Films debuted in 2010 with the theatrical release of Four Lions, which was named of Time Magazine’s “Top 10 Films Of The Year.” Their diverse and unique slate includes Joshua Oppenheimer’s highly-acclaimed, Oscar® nominated documentary The Act Of Killing produced by Errol Morris and Werner Herzog, Ari Folman’s post-apocalyptic meta-sci-fi The Congress starring Robin Wright, Paul Giamatti and John Hamm, Michel Gondry’s surrealist romance Mood Indigo starring Audrey Tautou, Midnight Movie sensations Miami Connection and The Visitor and rediscovered classics Wake In Fright and Ms. 45.
Recent and upcoming releases include romance-horror hybrid Spring; the hotly anticipated The Look Of Silence, Oppenheimer’s companion piece to The Act Of Killing; 70’s-set true crime epic The Connection starring Oscar® winning Best Actor Jean Dujardin (The Artist), the European flipside to William Friedkin’s The French Connection;The Keeping Room, from director Daniel Barber (Harry Brown), based on Julia Hart’s acclaimed Black List screenplay, starring Brit Marling, Hailee Steinfeld and Sam Worthington; the multiple Cannes award winning The Tribe, filmed entirely in Ukrainian Sign Language with a cast of deaf, non-professional actors; and a remastered re-release, in conjunction with Olive Films, of the 1981 disasterpiece Roar, the most dangerous film ever made, starring Tippi Hedren, Melanie Griffith and a cast of 150 untrained lions, tigers and exotic animals.
Drafthouse Films distributes films theatrically, through home video, VOD and their direct-to-consumer platforms integrating into the ever-growing Alamo Drafthouse entertainment lifestyle brand, which along with Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas includes: Mondo, the collectible art boutique; Fantastic Fest, the largest international genre film festival in the US; and the pop culture website Birth.Movies.Death.