A big congratulations to alum Jon Bero for being accepted into a film festival! His film ‘Yuki’ is premiering at the Cheyenne Zombie FEST which is a zombie-centric festival in its sixth year. We asked Jon a few questions about the film and its origins.

What’s the film about? Having struggled with an anxiety disorder for most of my life, I set out to create a film that shows the daily struggle of living with these feelings, and to raise awareness about mental disorders.

There is beauty in the broken, but Yuki, a deer plagued by anxiety, isn’t able to see it. After being misled by his friend, and closest companion, Michi in an effort to “toughen him up,” Yuki is forced to delve into an abandoned building where, unbeknownst to either of them, a malevolent presence–consuming both Yuki’s fear and suspicion–lurks, ready to emerge.

Why did you apply to Cheyenne Zombiefest? I was drawn to the Cheyenne Zombiefest for a few reasons, namely past and annual guests to the festival including Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead), Matt Mogk (“Talking Dead”), Linnea Quigley (Return of the Living Dead) and Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes). Seeing as it also centers around the horror genre, I found it to be a great place to share what I feel strays from the “conventional” take on psychological horror. People go to this festival for all things creepy and scary and it just seemed like a great fit for Yuki, plus a great way to hopefully prompt and help people relate to mental disorders or their own personal struggles with one.

What have you done to market the film? (Yes, this is a question we ask all alumni! Pressure!) So far I’ve updated my CV to list the film (but that probably doesn’t count on the marketing front so much!) as well as updating my website to reflect Yuki’s inclusion in the festival, posting it on LinkedIn, and soon to be posted on Twitter.