Blogging Dallas Video Festival: Opening Night

A still from "Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation."

Have you ever loved a movie so much that you wanted to live it? This is just what Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala, and Jayson Lamb did when they were only 12 years old. Over the next seven summers, they painstakingly remade Raiders of the Lost Ark, shot for shot. The film opens this year's 21st Annual Dallas Video Festival .

This may be your only chance to see the film, because it can only be screened at the discretion of the filmmakers, who obviously can't distribute the film on DVD. What's more, they donate all proceeds to nonprofit organizations and to the cause of educating teenagers about the art of filmmaking. Chris Strompolos, who plays Indy in the film, will be in attendance to answer your questions.

This festival chose it as the opening film for its youthful passion, imagination, and hard work. Without any money or institution to guide them, the boys made this film by finding their own solutions and by enlisting the help of their local community. As the film progresses, we witness how much the filmmakers grow as artists, in further command of their craft. Of course, some scenes truly impress like the scene where they are on an actual submarine. They even found a way to include some Nazi-saluting dogs. Of course, they even did their own stunts.

As for happy endings... the three friends have become consummate professionals and have started a production company. They have a script called What the River Takes, which they plan to produce together.

Related Links:

Dallas Video Festival: website and blog

Indy project profiles: Wired and Vanity Fair.

Link to this page: http://www.independent-magazine.org/