Zombies in Port Gamble, Kitsap County

Entrails and brains were flying last Thursday night at the Kirkland Performance Center for the Seattle International Film Festival showing of ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction. Dubbed a “political zomedy” by local director and co-writer Kevin Hamedani (who was raised in Edmonds and attended the University of Washington), ZMD is a political satire that also pokes fun at the clichés of horror films (young couple in car and boyfriend eaten by zombies). Inspired by the way people reacted to him differently post-9/11, Hamedani wanted to create a film about his experience, but did not want to present the topic in a serious way—so naturally he opted for a zombie film.

The film was set in and shot entirely in Port Gamble, Washington, using hundreds of camera-starved Northwest locals as actors and extras in the film. This was the first professional acting gig for the majority of the cast, many of whom attended the showing (one extra personally thanked the director during the Q&A for letting him get his head blown off).