ZACH BANDLER

S H O W R E E L

L I G H T K E E P E R

T O R N

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Production Wraps in Congo

"Koko Suzanne" has wrapped production in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. The film, based on true events, is directed by Zach, co-written with Congolese physician Emmanuel Epenge and co-produced in DRC with Tosala Films.

"Land of the Young" Wins American Zoetrope Screenplay Competition

Zach’s feature screenplay “Land of the Young” has been named winner of the 2023 American Zoetrope Screenplay Competition. Francis Ford Coppola and the American Zoetrope team have selected this story, about caregiving, family and visibility for those with age-related disability, from 2,000 submitted screenplays.

https://www.zoetrope.com/contests/screenplays-2023

"Land of the Young" Wins American Zoetrope Screenplay Competition

Academy Nicholl Fellowships Semifinalist

Zach's feature film screenplay "Land of the Young" has been named a Semifinalist in the 2024 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting.

A great and interesting story is about everyone or it will not last.

- John Steinbeck

As a director and screenwriter, Zach’s work focuses on internationally collaborative narratives on health and social equity.

His short The Lightkeeper (2018) was named final recipient of the CINE Golden Eagle Award for Narrative Short Film, an award recognizing rising filmmakers since 1962 which has honored the early careers of Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Spike Lee, Taylor Hackford and others. It was "Best of the Month" on Omeleto, YouTube's largest short film channel with 3.5 million subscribers worldwide. His taboo medical comedy film Torn (2019) premiered online with Directors Notes, and his LGBTQ+ mid-length drama The Stairs (2016) won the Audience Award at the Ashland Independent Film Festival.

His feature film screenplay Land of the Young was chosen by Francis Ford Coppola as winner of the 2023 American Zoetrope Screenplay Competition, and was a Semifinalist for the 2024 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. In February 2025, with a grant from the Alzheimer's Association, Zach co-facilitated a workshop with Irish poet Eithne Hand in Sligo, Ireland, supporting 6 people living with dementia and their caregivers in the creation of material that will be adapted into poetry featured onscreen in Land of the Young.

Zach serves as an Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health with the Global Brain Health Institute in Dublin, Ireland, where his work intersects with policy advocates for those with neurodegenerative and psychological disabilities. His first film to emerge from this endeavor, Koko Suzanne, is a collaboration made in the Democratic Republic of Congo alongside Congolese cast and crew. The short film serves as the main component in an impact initiative lead by Congolese physicians, supported by the Congolese government and health organisations, in order to help individuals and families navigating dementia.

He is currently preparing to direct a narrative feature film as part of a global research study into what Nobel laureates Anne Case and Angus Deaton coined “diseases of despair”. The anthology film will highlight the causes and effects of these conditions, with planned production in Bangladesh, Lesotho, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, South Korea and Syria.

His screenplays have been Finalists in the ScreenCraft Feature Competition, the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards, Cinequest Screenwriting Competition, and shortlisted for the ScreenCraft Film Fund. His teleplay Hollywood and Vine (2012) was given an industry presentation at the American Film Institute, starring Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) and directed by Independent Spirit Award winner Mark Polish.

Zach is an academic author, publishing on the neurobiological value of hope, and presently co-leads a research study investigating personal food memories and storytelling in people living with dementia. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Theatre from Northwestern University (United States), and a Postgraduate Certificate in Brain Health from Trinity College Dublin (Ireland).