DETROIT — A documentary about Eminem superfans is set to open the inaugural SXSW London festival, organizers have announced.

"Stans," named for Eminem's 2000 hit about an obsessed fan, is set to premiere at the overseas festival on June 2. According to the film's synopsis, it follows "not just Eminem’s artistic trajectory, but that of his most loyal superfans... offering an entertaining and vibrant look at the modern nature of fandom and how social media has irrevocably changed the relationship between artists and their audience."

"Stans" is directed by Steven Leckart, who wrote 2019's Muhammad Ali documentary, "What's My Name." It marks his feature documentary debut.

The project was announced last year, with Eminem putting the call out on social media for superfans to participate in the doc.

"Stan," the third single released off Eminem's blockbuster 2000 album "The Marshall Mathers LP," tells the story of an Eminem fan who takes his obsession with the rapper too far. The song is built around a sample of British singer Dido's 1998 track "Thank You."

The track, produced by Eminem and Mark "The 45 King" James, surpassed the 1 billion streams mark on Spotify in December 2023. It currently has nearly 1.3 billion streams, and its music video, starring Devon Sawa as the titular fan, has 781 million views.

In the wake of the song's success, "stan" has become shorthand for fans of any artist, and is used as a verb to describe one's actions when celebrating an artist or their work. Merriam-Webster describes a stan as "an extremely or excessively enthusiastic and devoted fan," and in its other form, "to exhibit fandom to an extreme or excessive degree; to be an extremely devoted and enthusiastic fan of someone or something."

Outside of its SXSW premiere, no formal release plans for "Stans" have been announced. The film festival's page for "Stans" lists its distributor as Paramount+.

London's SWSX festival, which follows the popular Austin, Texas, tech, music and film festival, runs June 2-7. Other films set to screen at the fest include the Toronto International Film Festival hit "The Life of Chuck" and "Deep Cover," about a group of improv comics who infiltrate a criminal gang.

Eminem released his latest album, "The Death of Slim Shady," last year. Last month, the 52-year-old became a grandfather when his daughter, Hailie Jade Scott, gave birth to her first child, Elliot Marshall McClintock.

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