Bill Connington, the star of ZOMBIE, and Thomas Caruso, the film's director, will attend a special midnight screening at the Williamsburg International Film Festival (WILLiFEST) in hip Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on Friday, September 23rd. ZOMBIE is an official selection at the prestigious festival, called one of the "Top 20 coolest film festivals in the world,' by Movie Maker Magazine. The screening will be at the trendy Knitting Factory, 361 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211. An all-day pass costs $15, or a single admission ticket for a block of films is $10. L/G train to Lorimar-Metropolitan, or L train to Bedford Ave. 347-529-6696 (www.willifest.com)
ZOMBIE (www.zombiethefilm.com) has been an official selection at 9 film festivals so far. The film won "Best Short Film (Horror)" at the Washington DC Independent Film Festival. It is nominated for 5 awards: Best Actor, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay, and Best Dramatic Short Film at the upcoming Terror Film Festival in Philadelphia. It has been screened at the Cleveland International Film Festival, the Boston International Film Festival, the Atlanta Horror Film Festival, the NYC Downtown Shorts Festival, and will be screened on October 1st at the Shriekfest International Horror Film Festival in Los Angeles. (www.shriekfest.com)
The short film is based on the novella by famous American author Joyce Carol Oates. (www.usfca.edu/jco/) ZOMBIE tells the story of a "normal-seeming" serial killer, who abducts innocent victims, and attempts to turn them into his "zombie" slaves. The critics have lauded Bill Connington for his shockingly realistic acting in ZOMBIE. He has won numerous awards for his portrayal. The critic Patrick Lee of Theatermania has written, "Bill Connington is a riveting performer." Connington is currently penning the feature-length screenplay of ZOMBIE, scheduled to begin principal photography in 2012. (www.zombietheplay.com) Thomas Caruso (www.thomascaruso.com) has won plaudits and awards for his direction of ZOMBIE. He is currently directing SOUTHERN COMFORT, a new musical by Dan Collins and Julianne Wick Davis, based on Kate Davis' 2001 Sundance award-winning documentary about transgender friends in rural Georgia. It co-stars Annette O'Toole and Jeff McCarthy. Previews begin October 5th at the CAP 21 Theater in Manhattan. (www.cap21.org) Thomas Caruso also directed Connington in THE THORNHILLS OF PARK AVENUE, currently making the round of film festivals. It co-stars Juliette Bennett and Anthony Haden-Guest.
Michael Cooper is the producer of ZOMBIE. Trisha Solyn is the Director of Photography for ZOMBIE. Deirdre Broderick is the composer of ZOMBIE and THE THORNHILLS OF PARK AVENUE. (www.deirdrebroderick.com)
WILLiFEST was established to provide a platform for the creative visions of today's emerging artists. The Williamsburg International Film Festival is the film component of WILLiFEST. The film and music festivals are opportunities for artists to enhance their careers by exposing their film and music to an influential audience, gaining critical media exposure and strengthening industry relationships. The programming department is headed by an award-winning independent film team. The festival will also have an educational component as WILLiFEST is partnering with leading NYC film programs, non-profit art centers and industry technology leaders who will provide real world panels and workshops by working industry professionals. (www.willifest.com)
