Before they were “walkers,” “zeds,” or the “infected,” zombies were a symbol of resistance. This March, director Maya Annik Bedward’s documentary “Black Zombie” will world premiere at the SXSW Film and TV Festival and peel back the blood-soaked layers of Hollywood’s favorite monster.
Written and directed by Bedward, the film digs beneath the spectacle of modern horror to uncover a buried history. Born from the trauma of enslavement, spiritual belief, and defiance, the zombie first emerged in Haiti long before it became one of pop culture’s most profitable exports.
“Black Zombie” traces this fascinating evolution from its roots in Haitian Vodou to its transformation in cinematic milestones like “White Zombie,” “Night of the Living Dead,” and “The Serpent and the Rainbow.”
Part cultural reckoning, part horror remix, the film serves as a bold reclamation of Haitian culture—celebrating the only nation in history forged through a successful slave uprising.
To tell this story, Bedward enlists an impressive roster of voices from the worlds of horror cinema and academia, which includes Yves-Grégory Francois, Anderson Mojica, Erol Josué, Mambo Labelle Déese Botanica, Slash, Tom Savini, Tananarive Due, and Zandashé Brown.
The film will world premiere on March 13, 2026, at 2:45 pm CST at Alamo Lamar 6 in Austin, TX, with encore screenings scheduled for March 14 and March 17. A full schedule of screenings can be found on the SXSW website.
