“Blood Quantum”: On Zombies, Marginalization and Compassion Talking with Jeff Barnaby, Michael Greyeyes and Máijá Tailfeathers and daily adversity

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This week, the spotlight is on the 2019 feature Blood Quantum, an indie zombie film told from the perspective of an indigenous tribe who are immune to the zombie infection, and how they have to deal with the changing community and the nature of the threats around them.

Summer talks with actors Michael Greyeyes, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, and writer/director Jeff Barnaby about getting the film made, getting the right eyes watching it, unpacking the dangers of how a zombie outbreak can affect and disrupt an already oppressed population, and more.

First, lead actor Michael Greyeyes talks about what he saw in Traylor, the depth of how the characters are written, how the introduction of a zombie apocalypse might not change life very much for certain disenfranchised and marginalized peoples, and more.

Next, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers talks about her approach to playing Joss, viewing the resilience & strength of the indigenous woman’s care for her community under extreme adversity, and also getting to play zombie-killer.

Finally, writer/director Jeff Barnaby talks about coming up with the idea and presentation of his original take on a zombie story, compressing all the themes he wanted to include in a 96-minute film, about making a mirror reflecting current social and political climates wrapped in a zombie conflict, parallel to the commentary on capitalism and reducing human lives to interchangeable and disposable commodities, on fighting the self-doubt of the creative soul and unfairly shouldering the burden for the entire community as a minority filmmaker,

If a zombie outbreak hits as an element of the 2020 final Bingo, I’m gonna be out there like Grandpa Gisigu.

Twitter: @tripgore, @MichaelGreyeyes,
@Elevation_Pics

Instagram: @tripgore, @michael_greyeyes, @ellemaijatailfeathers

Blood Quantum is available on VOD, Digital HD, DVD and Blu-ray on September 1. It’s also still available for streaming on Shudder

What stories that turn genre expectations on their head have grabbed your attention recently? Let us know! Call 602-635-6976 and leave a message, send Summer an email, or in the comments below!

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