While the majority of fan films covered by FCT are made in the United States, it’s important to remember that this past-time is an international hobby. We’ve covered flicks from Australia, New Zealand, New Caldonia, England, and Canada, among others. Now you can add the UAE to that list.
As reported in The National, a UAE newspaper, Mike Goldschmidt, a life-long Star Wars fan, made a fan film in the dunes outside Al Ain. Originally from Queens, New York, he moved to Al Ain in 2004, and realized the rough terrain was perfect for making a Star Wars flick; the result was Star Wars Episode III½: The Lost Jedi, a fan film made the following year with Jerry Elvey, another local fan.
After Goldschmidt and Elvey met, Elvey churned out a script in three days and the two men began rehearsing the fight scenes and recruiting actors. They took advantage of their surroundings: Ponderosa restaurant in Al Ain Mall stood in as the Jedi council and an old fort in Buraimi provided the backdrop to the film’s climax. Using a camcorder, Goldschmidt directed and starred in the 15-minute film. The whole production cost just more than $1,000 (Dh3,673), most of which went on the costumes, which were made from the original designs by an Al Ain tailor.
Goldschmidt hopes to make another Elvey script, The Edge Of Redemption, into a film some time, but the writer has since moved to the Ukraine and most of their actors have left the UAE. For now, though, he has The Lost Jedi.
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