Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made (2015)

2015-03-141h 33m

In 1982, three 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. 30 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."

Related Movies

262236-thumbnail

John Ford Goes to War (2002)

When World War II broke out, John Ford, in his forties, commissioned in the Naval Reserve, was put in charge of the Field Photographic Unit by Bill Donavan, director of the soon-to-be-OSS. During the war, Field Photo made at least 87 documentaries, many with Ford's signature attention to heroism and loss, and many from the point of view of the fighting soldier and sailor. Talking heads discuss Ford's life and personality, the ways that the war gave him fulfillment, and the ways that his war films embodied the same values and conflicts that his Hollywood films did. Among the films profiled are "Battle of Midway," "Torpedo Squadron," "Sexual Hygiene," and "December 7."

619880-thumbnail

The Making of Double Impact, Parts 1 & 2 (2019)

Jean-Claude van Damme, Sheldon Lettich and more discuss the 1991 film "Double Impact" from inception to reception.

642744-thumbnail

La Génération Salut les copains (2019)

469300-thumbnail

From Manila with Love (2011)

Retrospective documentary on the making of the 70's women-in-prison exploitation cult favorites "The Big Doll House" and "The Big Bird Cage".

287178-thumbnail

Toy Masters (2014)

First ever feature-length documentary on the world-wide phenomenon that inspired an entire generation of children and became a billion dollar franchise--"Masters of the Universe". Features interviews with the key creative personnel behind every version of the best selling toy line and all incarnations of "Masters of the Universe" on television, film, stage, and print, tracing the inception and ups and downs of the fantasy juggernaut.

471511-thumbnail

Aliens, Dragons, Monsters & Me (1983)

Documentary about the life and work of Ray Harryhausen.

833898-thumbnail

The Blade Runner Phenomenon (2021)

Ridley Scott's cult film Blade Runner, based on a novel by Philip K. Dick and released in 1982, is one of the most influential science fiction films ever made. Its depiction of Los Angeles in the year 2019 is oppressively prophetic: climate catastrophe, increasing public surveillance, powerful monopolistic corporations, highly evolved artificial intelligence; a fantastic vision of the future world that has become a frightening reality.

288296-thumbnail

The Footprints of a Spirit (1998)

The story of the creation of The Spirit of the Beehive, a film directed by Víctor Erice in 1973.

288127-thumbnail

5 American Handguns - 5 American Kids (1995)

When a child gets hold of a loaded handgun, someone often dies. Last year, 24,000 Americans lost their lives to handguns...and 3,600 of them were children. This profoundly disturbing documentary tells the stories of five handguns that killed five children--and how their deaths might have been prevented.

470084-thumbnail

Dark Glamour: The Blood and Guts of Hammer Productions (2017)

The greatness, fall and renaissance of Hammer, the flagship company of British popular cinema, mainly from 1955 to 1968. Tortured women and sadistic monsters populated oppressive scenarios in provocative productions that shocked censorship and disgusted critics but fascinated the public. Movies in which horror was shown in offensive colors: dreadful stories, told without prejudices, that offered fear, blood, sex and stunning performances.

30565-thumbnail

The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of 'Twelve Monkeys' (1996)

A documentary following Terry Gilliam through the creation of "Twelve Monkeys."

470968-thumbnail

At the Drive-In (2017)

Unable to purchase a $50,000 digital projector, a group of film fanatics in rural Pennsylvania fight to keep a dying drive-in theater alive by screening only vintage 35mm film prints and working entirely for free.

469019-thumbnail

Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (2017)

Offbeat documentarian Chris Smith provides a behind-the-scenes look at how Jim Carrey adopted the persona of idiosyncratic comedian Andy Kaufman on the set of Man on the Moon.

1004929-thumbnail

Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy (2023)

This is not a documentary about the making of Midnight Cowboy. It is about a humane and groundbreaking masterpiece and the flawed but gifted people who made it. It is about a troubled era of cultural ferment, social and political change, about broken dreams and strivers, then and now. It is about an era that made a movie and a movie that made an era.

12456-thumbnail

The Five Obstructions (2003)

Lars von Trier challenges his mentor, filmmaker Jørgen Leth, to remake Leth’s 1967 short film The Perfect Human five times, each with a different set of bizarre and challenging rules.

623692-thumbnail

Bo Widerberg (1977)

Documentary which follows Bo Widerberg during the making of 'Man on the Roof', 'The Butt' and a failed theater production.

622447-thumbnail

Caravana (2005)

1183394-thumbnail

Other Men's Careers (2023)

Eccentric, outspoken, and unfiltered TV and low budget film director Josh Becker struggles to emerge from the shadow of his work on "The Evil Dead", "Xena", the careers of his more successful colleagues, depression and alcoholism to fulfill his lifelong ambition of creating high quality, successful films.

1184370-thumbnail

Ho! Kanada (1995)

What do the Japanese see in Canada? What's the magnetic pull from the Far East? And what's our take on this land of ours? Bolstering our feeling of national pride comes naturally after watching the Japanese embrace the country. The film follows Masaaki Kagami, a Japanese transplanted in Alberta. He specializes in making souvenir videos for Japanese tourists. HO! KANADA is an investigation of national stereotypes. The film records the way the Japanese see us, and how we see them and ourselves.

448982-thumbnail

King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen (2018)

A feature-length documentary focusing on the acclaimed work and eclectic career of maverick filmmaker Larry Cohen, writer-director of "Black Caesar," "It's Alive," "God Told Me To," "Q," "The Stuff," and many more.