The Hunt for Gollum is a 2009 British fantasy fan film based on the appendices of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The plot of the film is set in Middle-earth, when the wizard Gandalf the Grey fears that Gollum may reveal information about the One Ring to necromancer Sauron. Gandalf sends ranger Aragorn on a quest to find Gollum.
Filming took place in North Wales, Epping Forest, and Hampstead Heath. The film was shot in high definition video, with a budget of £3,000 (US$5,000). The production is completely unofficial and unauthorized, though Bouchard said he had "reached an understanding" with Tolkien Enterprises in 2009.
The Hunt for Gollum debuted at the Sci-Fi-London film festival and on the Internet, free to view, on 3 May 2009. By October 20, it had been viewed by 5 million people, and has been viewed over 13 million times by February 2015 (including views of the REDUX version with improved audio).Synopsis
The film is set during the timespan of The Fellowship of the Ring. It takes place 17 years after Bilbo Baggins's 111th birthday party and just before Frodo Baggins leaves the Shire for Rivendell (an interval which was not outlined in the motion picture based on that story). The wizard Gandalf fears that Gollum may reveal information about the One Ring to the Dark Lord Sauron, and sends the Ranger Aragorn, heir of Isildur, on a quest to find him.