HAVE you ever wanted to sponsor a zombie? Well your chance has arrived with the recent launch of a crowd-funding campaign to raise money for the production of a new Canberra zombie film “Theatre of the Dead.”

If you contribute, you can have tours of the set on “a zombie day,” you can donate anything from $10-$5000. Rewards also include stills from the film and exclusive rights over a single frame from the movie.

“We can arrange for you to be eaten too if you would like,” says one of the producers, John Cougar. Who could resist that?

It was an exotic Halloween on October 31 when Canberra filmmakers Patrick Gallagher, Daniel Sanguinetti and Cougar chose to launch their new enterprise.

According to spokesman Daniel Lloyd, the total budget of the film is under $1m – in other words low-budget – but they’d rather have more.

Held at the Performing Arts Services Hub (PASH) in Civic, the  launch saw visitors from the press, the Canberra filmmaking community and the Canberra Centenary office given a special treat when they found, on their chairs, lollies in the shape of disembodied eyeballs.

Arts people all around Canberra are now using online funding sites and the “Theatre of the Dead” is no exception, having chosen indiegogo.com for this. They already have private investors who, they say, recognise the market value of the horror genre.

As for the plot, Erindale Theatre will never be the same. Director/screenplay writer Gallagher envisions a dance troupe rehearsing on stage unaware that the world outside is being overrun by the living dead. Trapped inside, they must decide whether to stay or to make a run for it.

“Theatre of the Dead” is the first film under the umbrella of the recently-formed coalition, Canberra Feature Film Coalition conceived by Warren Coulton of Clear Vision Films. The idea is to focus initially on horror action and comedy, reliably popular forms in the ACT.

You can find out more about the production by visiting http://www.theatreofthedead.com.au and contribute financially by going to http://www.indiegogo.com/Theatre-of-the-Dead