ZP International Motion Pictures

Richmond, KY: September 1, 2010 – ZP International Motion Pictures made the stunning announcement today that their latest feature film, Santa Claus Versus the Zombies, will be released in 3-D. 

Utilizing a new cutting-edge 3-D conversion process, ZP International’s new film brings the 3-D experience to the home viewer without having to purchase any equipment other than a standard DVD player.  Santa Claus Versus the Zombies will be the first motion picture to be released with this new 3-D conversion process. 

ZP International CEO George Bonilla stated “We have been working with inventors Randy French and Daniel Widener, as they have developed this 3-D conversion process. We had tested an early version of their 3-D conversion. Since then, they have really upped the ante. With continued research and development, they have created a 3-D experience that rivals what the major studios are putting out now.”

“We are very excited to be able to make this announcement. I have to say, the finished product is spectacular. Randy and Daniel have really done some fine work with this 3-D conversion process.  This will open many doors for the Independent filmmaker looking to take their work to the next level.”

Co-inventor Randy French stated, “We are very happy to be working with the ZP International team. Everyone is extremely creative and we have future plans in the works on pushing the 3-D world to its maximum potential”

Santa Claus versus the Zombies is the tenth film from the Richmond, KY based film studio.  The film is the first family-friendly release from Bonilla and company, who are best known for horror and thrillers like Zombie Planet, Hell-ephone, Monstrosity, and the award-winning film, The Edison Death Machine.

The film was shot entirely in the state of Kentucky at locations in Berea, Richmond, Irvine, and Frankfort.  

The horror-comedy film, written and directed by Bonilla, tells the story of a suburban family trapped in their home following a Zombie Plague.  Along for the ride are a couple of elves, and an actor that just might be the real Santa Claus.  They struggle against zombie attacks, as the President hatches a plan to rescue Santa and save Christmas for all of humanity.

The film stars Billy W. Blackwell, Alex del Monacco, Cassidy Rae Owens, David LeMoine, Claude Miles, Stacey T. Gillespie, Tony Armstrong, Kayla Perkins and Frank Santoroski. Producers on the project include Tammy Bonilla, Todd Burrows, and David Sowder.

This fun holiday film is slated for a world-wide release in both standard and 3-D versions in November 2010, just in time for families to enjoy during the holidays.  More information about ZP International, George Bonilla, and their films is available at www.zpmovies.com

The first annual GILLESPIEFEST will take place at Gillum’s Sports Lounge on the Eastern Bypass in Richmond, KY. The event will take place Friday September 17, 2010 and run from 12:00 Noon until 1:00 AM.  

This unique event was conceived by Lexington, KY actor Stacey T. Gillespie as a means to celebrate the local talent in the area. The event will feature locally produced films, music, artwork, and comedy. GILLESPIEFEST 2010 will culminate will a roast of Stacey Gillespie at 10:00 PM.

Gillespie was discovered as an actor while auditioning for ZOMBIE PLANET back in 2001. Since then he has had starring or supporting roles in hundreds of features and short films shot in the area.  He has earned the nickname “Lexington’s Man of 1000 Faces.” Gillespie’s credits include films such as, “The Edison Death Machine”,  ”Stash”, “Mountain Mafia”, “Nancy Barry’s Big Case”, “Nightmare Fuel”, “Monstrosity”, “Misadventures in Space”, “C.R.Y.”, and “Santa Claus Versus the Zombies” 

While celebrating the local talent, Gillespie also would like to give something back to the community that has embraced him. GILLESPIEFEST asks for a $5.00 donation at the door. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY.

Anyone interested in submitting or contributing to this event should contact Stacey Gillespie vie email or through his FaceBook page.

This promises to be a fun and exciting event. You won’t want to miss this one!!

Visit the FRIGHT NIGHT FILM FEST July 30-Aug 1, 2010 and see a special advance screening of “Santa Claus Versus the Zombies” Saturday July 31st at 9:00 PM.

‘Santa Claus Versus the Zombies’ is the latest film from the Richmond, KY-based film studio, ZP International Motion Pictures. The film stars Billy W. Blackwell, Alex Del Monacco, Cassidy Owens, Claude Miles, Stacey Gillespie, Tony Armstrong, Kayla Perkins, and Reaper M. Jones.  Written and directed by George Bonilla, this is the first family-friendly feature film in the ZP International catalogue.

This test-screening will be the first public showing of ‘Santa Claus Versus the Zombies’

The FRIGHT NIGHT FILM FEST is in its sixth year of operation and, as always, features an impressive list of celebrity guests, writers, artists, and filmmakers. The event will be held at the Inn Place Hotel and Conference Center on 9700 Bluegrass Parkway in Louisville, KY.  

More information about FRIGHT NIGHT FILM FEST, including tickets and directions, is available at www.frightnightfilmfest.com

More information about ZP International, George Bonilla, and their films is available at www.zpmovies.com  

Like many other days on the shooting schedule, “That’s a wrap!!” was exclaimed at the end of the day. But this time, the film was in the can.

 ZP International’s latest feature film, Santa Claus Versus the Zombies, wrapped principal photography in mid-June and now is in the stages of post-production.  The odyssey that was ‘Santa Claus Versus the Zombies” rolled off the first shots back in January and now has come to a close.

Music, digital effects, animation, and seemingly endless editing are now the task at hand for director George Bonilla and the post production staff of ZP International, Frozen Mercury Productions, TAG Studios and artist Billy Tackett. Crafting the hours of footage into a marketable Motion Picture will be the primary focus of the group for the time being. At the same time, Pre-production begins on the next project, Bunker of Blood.’ 

“What an amazing cast and crew!,” remarked Bonilla. “The footage looks great, and I just can’t say enough about the fine efforts of all that were associated with this film. We are hoping to have a festival edit ready by late July, and a version for distribution soon thereafter.”   

One of the post-production goodies that Bonilla is most excited about is an animated opening sequence that will be put together by Florence, KY artist, Billy Tackett.

“I don’t want to give too much away,” said Bonilla, but if you recall the openings to the Blake Edwards Pink Panther movies, you’ll have an idea of what we are going for.

The new film, the first family-orientated offering from the Richmond, KY based studio, is slated for world-wide release in the fall of 2010. Santa Claus Versus the Zombies stars Billy W. Blackwell, Alex Del Monacco, Cassidy Rae Owens, Claude Miles, Stacey T. Gillespie, Tony Armstrong, Kayla Perkins, Reaper M. Jones and David Lemoine. Producers on the film are Tammy Bonilla, Todd Burrows, David Sowder and Frank Santoroski.

ZP International will be guests at a special event ‘Celebrate Your Independents’ celebrating the spirit of independent comic books and films.

The show will take place on July 3rd at A+ Comics on 123 Southland Drive in Lexington, KY.   Some of the other special guests include Robert Kirkman from The Walking Dead, Cory Walker from Invincible and Kenn Minter from The Experts. The store hours on Saturday are from 11am - 7pm.

A+ Comics is expecting a record crowd for the event, and ZP International’s George Bonilla and Todd Burrows are expected to appear. More information is available at www.apluscominsonline.com

It’s mid-June, but…Is it Christmas already? The halls of the old Estill County High School are decorated with Christmas decorations. Santa Claus sits on his throne, flanked by his elves. But wait, dozens of people are decked out in Zombie Costumes. Is it..Halloween?

One may have been a bit confused seeing all this in Irvine last weekend. The real story is that ZP International Motion Pictures was gearing up to shoot a big scene for their upcoming feature-length motion picture, Santa Claus Versus the Zombies.

Director George Bonilla and his crew assembled nearly sixty Zombie extras to battle with Santa and his elves through the hallways and classrooms of the Estill County Board of Education Building, formerly the High School.

“This was an ambitious undertaking,” said Bonilla. “Getting this many actors into zombie make-up alone is a huge task. This is the largest scene in the film and the planning behind it was quite intense.”

Once the make-up effects are completed by artists Robert Andrews, Lyzayne Whitaker, and Dori Cagle; cameras, lights, and fog machines are powered up and the action begins. Cast and crew alike have a great time while the day wears on. Its hard work, and numerous takes, with different angles and close-up are completed.

It’s a long day, but everyone remains upbeat.  It is nearly 7:00 pm when the filming is completed. As equipment is carefully packed up, Bonlla and crew are exhausted. But, there is no time to rest. Filming resumes the following morning, at a different location. Principal photography is scheduled to end on June 20^th and then the project moves into post-production. Staying on schedule is a must. 

All of the Zombies have volunteered their time just to be a part of a motion picture. For many of them, it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and they will have stories to tell and pictures to show. They will all now eagerly await the finished film, slated for a Fall 2010 release.

The Richmond, KY-based ZP International Motion Pictures is well-known for horror films such as Zombie Planet, Dance with a Vampire, and Monstrosity as well as thrillers like Hell-ephone and the award-winning film The Edison Death Machine.

Santa Claus Versus the Zombies, however, is a family-friendly tongue-in-cheek film unlike anything that ZP International has ever produced.

The film is based on an original story by George Bonilla from a concept suggested by Jet Rosas. The film tells the story of a suburban family that finds themselves barricaded in their house following the Zombie plague. Along for the ride are a couple of elves and an actor that just might be the real Santa Claus.  In the meantime, the President and his military advisors are holed up in a bunker desperately trying to hatch a plan to rescue Santa Claus and save Christmas.

“It’s been a lot of fun, “said Bonilla. “Doing something different, and adding a Holiday film to our catalogue, really expands our appeal as a film company.”

The film stars Billy W. Blackwell, Alex Del Monacco, Cassidy Owens, Claude D. Miles, Kayla Perkins, Tony Armstrong, Stacey Gillespie, Cory Stringer, and Reaper M. Jones.  Producers on the project are Tammy Bonilla, Todd Burows, David Sowder, Frank Santoroski, and Douglas Campbell.

ZP International Motion Pictures maintains a Studio facility in Berea, KY. George Bonilla was honored in 2008 as ‘Kentucky Filmmaker of the Year’ at the Fright Night Film Festival, and was further honored in 2010 as ‘Kentucky Filmmaker of the Decade’ at DarkWoods Con.

More information about ZP International, their films, and George Bonilla at www.zpmovies.com

         ZP International Film Production and Distribution announced today that they have gone into production on a new feature film to be released in Fall 2010.

The new film will be titled Bunker of Blood, and will be directed by award-winning film maker George Bonilla.

“We came across this idea while in production for our current feature Santa Claus Versus the Zombies,” said Bonilla. “I was talking with our Production Designer, Mark Rogers, about what a great job he had done constructing the bunker and control room sets.  Well, we thought that since the sets were both realistic and incredibly well-built, that instead of striking the set after finishing Santa Claus Versus the Zombies, we could modify what we had and shoot another feature. The idea blossomed from there and grew into Bunker of Blood”

Bunker of Blood, the eleventh film to come out of the Richmond, KY-based film company, takes place in the near future. Negotiations with the Far East have failed, and the unthinkable has happened: all-out nuclear war. With civilization as we know it at an end, the United States President is whisked away to safety in an underground bunker. Along with him is a team of scientists and advisors, as well as an elite fighting force of the best assassins and soldiers in the country. This Presidential Security team is hand-selected to protect and preserve the government in this time of crisis.

With no way in, and no way out, everyone is suspect when murder happens in the bunker. As the killings continue, this last vestige of civilized beings begin to turn on one another to find the killer. Is someone in the bunker fighting for the enemy?  Or is something even more sinister and supernatural coming into play?

Confirmed to appear in the film are Billy W. Blackwell, Jeffrey Wayne Smith, Dori Cagle, Tony Armstrong, Claude D. Miles and Steve Bryant. Bonilla promises more cast announcements in the coming weeks with a few big surprises. Producers on the project include Tammy Bonilla, Todd Burrows, David Sowder, and Frank Santoroski.

Bunker of Blood will be shot at ZP International’s studios located in Berea, KY. The powerhouse independent production company is responsible for films such as; Zombie Planet, Dance With a Vampire, Monstrosity, The Kane Chronicles, Hell-ephone and the award-winning feature The Edison Death Machine. In addition to these feature films, ZP International has also produced an instructional video aimed at young film makers, Fighting on Film:Enter the Independent.

Writer / Director George Bonilla was honored as “Kentucky Filmmaker of the Year” in 2008 at the Fright Night Film Fest and was further honored as “Kentucky Filmmaker of the Decade” at the 2010 Darkwoods Convention. 

More information about ZP International and their work is available at www.zpmovies.com

ZP International has released the instructional documentary FIGHTING ON FILM: ENTER THE INDEPENDENT for purchase. Priced at $14.95, the film offers a wealth of information.

This highly entertaining and informative film features award-winning film director George Bonilla and Hall of Fame Martial Artist / Stuntman David Fultz lending their expertise to Independent filmmaker on how to stage a convincing stunt fight on film. Stacey Gillespie, Adam G. Fair, Casey Miracle and Josh McMaine also star in the DVD.

Please visit www.zpmovies.com and click the DVD store links to purchase this DVD.

ZP International is looking for a large number of Zombies to film a scene on “Santa Claus Versus the Zombies”

The shoot will take place June 5th 2010 at the Richmond Mall in Richmond, KY.

You can sign up at this weekend’s World Independent Film Expo in the Richmond Mall May 14-16, 2010.

So, if you want to be a ZOMBIE in a motion picture, here is your chance.

Can’t make the W.F.E. expo? Visit www.zpmovies.com and send us a message via the contact links…