Sci Fi London 8: Screening of Yesterday & talk with Writer-director Rob Grant May 1, 2009

The flesh-munching undead have been popping up all over the cinematic world, and this time the infection hits suburban Canada.

After outrunning and outdriving the zombie hoards, the different groups of survivors become holed up in a grocery store for what is to be the final stand-off against the undead, but decide to escape the city and head for the safety of the wilderness. It's like Dawn of the Dead meets Deliverance, and with six, armed alpha males trying to survive in the forest it's not the zombies that are their greatest threat.

This low-budget first feature pays a lot more attention to the characters and the interaction between the survivors than simply shooting at zombies, which lifts it above the usual splatter movies, but still includes all the blood-soaked, gory elements one expects of the genre. What is even more impressive is, owing to budgetary constraints on film stock, most of the movie's shots were done in one take, similar to Primer, which showed at SFL4. If you've ever thought about making your own zombie flick, then watch this to see how a fresh idea can make it stand out from the mob.

Writer-director Rob Grant will be at the screening to answer your questions about shooting a zombie feature on a shoestring.

Official Website: http://www.sci-fi-london.com/festival/2009/programme/