ZOMBIE Screened at Cleveland Film Festival, 4/1

New York: ZOMBIE will be screened at the Cleveland International Film Festival on Friday, April 1 at 11:15 pm. The festival takes place at Tower City Cinemas in Tower City Center at 230 West Huron Road, Cleveland, OH 44113. For tickets: 877-304-3456
or in person at the Ulmer & Berne Film Festival Box Office. www.clevelandfilm.org. New York Filmmaker Thomas Caruso, and New York-based lead actor/screenwriter Bill Connington will attend the screening. ZOMBIE is a short film based on the award-
winning play penned by and acted in by Connington. The original source material is the award-winning novella ZOMBIE by famous bestselling author Joyce Carol Oates. The film recently won "Best Short Film (Horror)" at the Washington D.C. Independent Film
Festival.

ZOMBIE was recently shown at the Washington D.C. Independent Film Festival, and the
NYC Downtown Shorts Film Festival. There was also a private screening for industry
professionals at the Anthology Film Archives in New York. Upcoming festivals where
ZOMBIE will be screened include the Boston International Film Festival on April 27. For
information: www.zombiethefilm.com.

ZOMBIE tells the story of a mild-mannered "normal-seeming" serial killer, who abducts
innocent victims, and attempts to turn them into his "zombie" slaves. Oates based her
tale on research of actual serial killers. She has been lauded by forensic psychiatrists
and psychologists for her realistic portrayal. The stage play ZOMBIE, adapted from the
novella by Bill Connington, was presented at the New York International Fringe Festival,
Off-Broadway at Theater Row for an extended run, and at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater
in New York. It was also recently performed in Seattle, and a production is planned for
Mexico City. www.zombietheplay.com

Joyce Carol Oates has written some of the most enduring fiction of our time, and is
considered to be one of America's greatest living authors. She recently penned her 116th
book, A WIDOW'S STORY, about the death of her husband of 48 years. She has been
nominated for the Pulitzer Prize four times, and has been a finalist for the Nobel Prize
for Literature. In a prolific and varied career she has proven herself one of the most
influential and important storytellers in the literary world. She is a New York Times
bestselling author, and winner of the National Book Award, who has written the national
bestsellers WE WERE THE MULVANEYS, BLONDE (a finalist for the National Book
Award and the Pulitzer Prize), THE FALLS (winner of the 2005 Prix Femina) and THE
GRAVEDIGGER'S DAUGHTER. A winner of innumerable awards, she has written
116 books. She is a distinguished professor at Princeton University. Ms. Oates writes
an average of two or three books a year. Her work frequently has dealt with the deeper

meaning of sexual abuse, desire for power, and violence. http://jco.usfca.edu

Bill Connington is the adapter and star of the Off-Broadway extended-run, critically
acclaimed solo show ZOMBIE, which played the New York International Fringe
Festival, Theater Row, and the Gerald W. Lynch Theater in New York. Connington
adapted ZOMBIE from the award-winning novella by Joyce Carol Oates. He was
named "Best Lead Actor" and "Outstanding Male Actor" and cited as giving one of the
best performances of the year for his portrayal. Connington penned the screenplay of the
short film ZOMBIE, and is the lead actor. He performed in three evenings of Oates' plays
at the Society Library in New York, and directed Oates' play I STAND BEFORE YOU
NAKED at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater. He has performed Off-Broadway, regionally,
and in television and independent film. www.zombietheplay.com.

Thomas Caruso directed the award-winning play ZOMBIE at the New York Fringe
Festival, for an extended-run Off-Broadway, as well as the short film. He received
critical acclaim and awards for his direction. Recently Caruso directed acclaimed regional
productions of AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, THE CHALKS, and OVER
THE TAVERN. Other Off-Broadway directing credits include the musical MIMI LE
DUCK, starring Eartha Kitt. Caruso directed the National Tour of MASTER CLASS
by Terrence McNally. He was the resident director of MAMA MIA in Las Vegas,
and was the associate director of BOMBAY DREAMS and FOLLIES on Broadway.
www.thomascaruso.com

In addition to associate producing the film ZOMBIE, Michael Cooper is the recipient of
the Jonathan Larson, Daryl Roth, and TRU Daniel Marshall Multicultural Awards for his
lyrics and book of the musical SUNFISH. He graduated from the NYU Graduate Musical
Theatre Writing Program. SUNFISH recently received its world premiere at a theater in
Boston. His writing partner is Hyeyoung Kim.

Deirdre Broderick is a composer based in New York City. She wrote the score for the
play and film versions of ZOMBIE, and to the film ABCD. www.deirdrebroderick.com

The Cleveland International Film Festival is considered one of the most important film
festivals in America. It is part of their mission to set high standards, and place artistic
and cultural merit above commercial appeal. They look to cultivate an innovative and
forward-thinking organization that helps promote quality films, and education through
film. www.clevelandfilm.org

For more information:
www.zombiethefilm.com
www.zombietheplay.com