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The Transition of Z

A darkly comic zom-rom-com about identity, anxiety and unexpected transformation, The Transition of Z follows Daz, a middle-aged programmer struggling with the post-pandemic return to office life and a deepening midlife crisis. As his sense of self begins to unravel, Daz arrives at an unexpected conclusion: life might finally make sense if he embraces his true identity as a zombie.

With the reluctant support of his empathetic wife, Ab, Daz embarks on a bizarre, awkward and often hilarious journey of self-discovery. As his transformation gathers momentum, their marriage, routines and assumptions about normality are pushed into increasingly absurd territory — revealing that acceptance can be messy, funny and, ultimately, deeply human.

  • Darren & Abi Jasper
    Director
  • Abi Jasper
    Writer
  • Darren Jasper
    Writer
  • Darren Jasper
    Producer
  • Abi Jasper
    Producer
  • Darren Jasper
    Key Cast
    "Daz 'Zee' Riley"
    Rams, Before Dawn, Frederickstown, Voiceless, Remotely Famous, Outback Dale, Twelve Years
  • Abi Jasper
    Key Cast
    "Ab Riley"
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 16 minutes 6 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 31, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    6,000 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39/1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Florence Film Awards
    Florence
    Italy
    Florence Film Awards 2026 – Gold Award Winner Indie Feature Film
  • Alpine International Film Festival
    Bern
    Switzerland
    Official Selection - June 2026
  • WA Screen Culture Awards
    Perth
    Australia
    Nomination - Innovation in Feature Film below $1m
Director Biography - Darren & Abi Jasper

Darren and Abi Jasper are Australian husband-and-wife filmmakers based in Mount Barker, Western Australia. Working collaboratively across writing, directing and producing, they approach filmmaking as a hands-on creative partnership, developing original character-driven stories outside traditional production pathways.

Their debut feature film, The Transition of Z, was produced independently in regional Western Australia through a combination of community support, local participation and resourceful filmmaking. Created on an approximate budget of AUD $6,000, the project reflects their belief that ambitious and distinctive stories can emerge from regional communities and modest resources.

Their work is influenced by regional Australian life, dry humour and an interest in finding the extraordinary within everyday experiences. Drawn to stories that blend comedy, emotion and unconventional genre ideas, they explore themes of identity, belonging, transformation and human connection through a distinctly Australian lens.

The Transition of Z is a darkly comic and heartfelt take on the zombie genre, following a man whose midlife crisis and post-pandemic anxiety lead him to believe that life finally makes sense if he embraces who he truly is: a zombie. The film reflects Darren and Abi's commitment to original storytelling, community collaboration and finding cinematic potential in everyday people, places and experiences.

As first-time feature filmmakers, Darren and Abi bring a practical, creative and community-minded approach to their work. Their focus is on telling distinctive Australian stories with humour, sincerity and a strong sense of place while demonstrating that ambitious filmmaking can emerge from regional communities and modest resources.

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Director Statement

The Transition of Z began with a simple but unusual question: what if a zombie story wasn’t about survival, but about identity?

We wanted to take one of horror’s most familiar figures and look at it from a more personal, human and darkly comic angle. Rather than treating the zombie as something purely monstrous, we were interested in what might happen if transformation became a way for someone to make sense of themselves — awkwardly, painfully, absurdly and honestly.

At its heart, the film is about Daz, a middle-aged programmer struggling with anxiety, routine and the pressure to return to a world that no longer feels natural to him. His decision to embrace life as a zombie is strange and comic on the surface, but underneath it sits a very human question: what happens when the person you think you should be no longer fits?

The relationship between Daz and Ab became the emotional centre of the film. We were drawn to the idea of a transformation story told not through spectacle, but through marriage, domestic life, patience and acceptance. Ab’s support of Daz is not simple or effortless; it asks both characters to reconsider what love, loyalty and identity mean when life changes in ways neither of them expected.

As first-time feature filmmakers working independently in regional Western Australia, we approached the film with limited resources but a strong sense of purpose. The production was shaped by the people, places and character of Mount Barker, and by a belief that ambitious, unusual stories can be told outside traditional film centres.

For us, The Transition of Z is a zombie film about being human. It uses comedy, awkwardness and genre to explore anxiety, self-acceptance and the strange courage it can take to become who you really are — even if that person happens to be undead.