Growing up in suburban Wisconsin, Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher didn’t have all that much to do. To bide their time, they started collecting castaway VHS tapes from thrift stores and playing increasingly elaborate pranks, eventually parlaying their passion for cringeworthy absurdity into The Found Footage Festival, a curated roadshow of bonkers obscurities from the annals of discarded VHS collections across the United States.

Fueled by a desire to push the envelope of discomfort, they started pranking unsuspecting regional morning show hosts as Chop and Steele, a couple of schlubby strongmen whose specialty workouts include wicker basket stomping and bareback stick snapping. Unamused by their antics, a media conglomerate slaps them with a lawsuit, presenting a fork in the road for the best pals. Do they grow up and get real jobs, or do they double down and go all-in on their most elaborate prank yet?

Pickett and Prueher risk financial stability, personal relationships, and Hollywood opportunities to stick to their uncompromising vision, while the growing complications of legal bills, constant travel, and COVID-19 threaten to derail their 30-year odyssey. Directed by Berndt Mader and Ben Steinbauer (Winnebago Man) and featuring interviews with David Cross, Reggie Watts, and Bobcat Goldthwait, Chop & Steele is a hilarious and disarmingly poignant tribute to friendship, individuality, and the artful prank. -Lori Donnelly, Fantastic Fest