Thursday, November 6, 2008

The 21st Annual Dallas Video Festival opens with a screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation




The 21
st Annual Dallas Video Festival opens with a screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation at the Angelika Film Center Dallas at 7 PM.


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 twelve years old. Over the next seven summers, they painstakingly remade Raiders of the Lost Ark, shot for shot.


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 non-profit organizations and to the cause of educating teenagers about the art of filmmaking. Passionate filmmaking for a good cause. Best of all, Chris Strompolos, who plays Indy in the film, will be in attendance to answer your questions!



This video opens our festival because it stands for some of the highest ideals in filmmaking. This kind of youthful passion, imagination, and hard work can inspire us all.


Independence: 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. This is DYI at its finest. As the film progresses, we witness how much the boys grow as artists, in further command of their craft.


Originality and Innovation: the submarine scene is sweet because it’s an actual submarine those kids are running around on. They even found a way to include some bastard, Nazi-saluting dogs.


Just a lot of damn fun: Just wait until you see the rolling boulder scene, not to mention the bar scene or the scene where Indy is pulled along the ground by the truck. They even did their own stunts!



The film screens at the Angelika Film Center at 7 PM. Arrive early because it’s going to sell out!


By the way, the three friends have become consummate professionals and have started a production company. They have a strong script called “What the River Takes,” and they’re preparing to go into production.


If you want to read more about the Indy project, check Wired and Vanity Fair.

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