following an acclaimed U.S. theatrical
BLACK ZOMBIE
A film by Maya Annik Bedward
OPENS IN THEATRES ACROSS CANADA BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 25
90 minutes | Canada | 2026
CANADIAN THEATRICAL DATES
September 30 & October 1 – Ottawa – Mayfair Theatre
October 2 – Montreal – Cinéma du Musée
October 9-16 – Toronto – Carlton Cinema
October 14-21 – Winnipeg – Dave Barber Cinematheque
October 23 – Sudbury – Sudbury Indie Cinema
October 23 & 31 – Toronto – Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema
PRESS RELEASE
Following its sold out premieres at SXSW and Hot Docs, and an acclaimed U.S. theatrical release that earned the film a coveted New York Times Critic’s Pick, Maya Annik Bedward’s feature documentary debut, BLACK ZOMBIE, is coming home to Canadian audiences beginning September 30.
Raven Banner Releasing takes the film across Canada beginning its theatrical run at Ottawa’s Mayfair Theatre this Friday. Followed by engagements in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Sudbury, and we’re just getting started.
“I’m super excited that BLACK ZOMBIE is resonating with audiences. My goal was always to bring this film to as many people as possible, to make the zombie’s true origin in Haiti common knowledge, and to shift the stigma around Vodou toward what it really is: a pillar of Black resistance.”
Far from the familiar flesh-eating trope, BLACK ZOMBIE reframes one of horror’s most iconic figures through its original cultural and historical lens. The film traces the zombie’s origins to colonial Haiti, where it emerged not as a monster, but as a chilling metaphor for enslavement, a fate in which even death could not deliver freedom.
Blending archival footage, horror film history, vérité storytelling and interviews with cultural historians, artists and genre legends, BLACK ZOMBIE maps the figure’s transformation across decades of cinema, from its earliest depictions to its modern pop-culture dominance.
In doing so, the film exposes how colonialism and Western media reshaped the zombie into an object of fear, severing it from its roots in Haitian Vodou and its original meaning as a symbol of stolen agency.
The film features Yves-Grégory Francois, Anderson Mojica, Erol Josué, Mambo Labelle Déese Botanica, Tom Savini, Tananarive Due, Zandashé Brown and Executive Producer Slash.
A Grammy Award-winning musician, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and longtime champion of horror storytelling, Slash lends his voice and support to the project as Executive Producer.
“I’ve always believed horror reflects the fears and truths buried in society,” says Slash. “BLACK ZOMBIE uncovers the real origins behind one of horror’s most iconic figures, and I’m proud to help bring that story forward.”
Jamaican-Canadian director Maya Annik Bedward explores history, resistance and identity through genre-informed storytelling. Her previous projects have screened at TIFF, Hot Docs, BlackStar and the New Orleans Film Festival, and include The Haircut, Why We Fight, LIDO TV and BLK: An Origin Story. She is also a founding member of the Black Screen Office.
BLACK ZOMBIE is produced by Maya Annik Bedward, Hannah Donegan and Kate Fraser, with Executive Producers Jennifer Holness, Michael Paszt, Andrew Thomas Hunt, James Fler and Slash.
Raven Banner Releasing is distributing the film in Canada.