“The Zombies” are legends immortalized in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Number one in the USA was something that only one other British band had managed before: “The Beatles”. But their career was surprisingly bumpy, as the documentary HUNG UP ON A DREAM traces. With “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No”, the band celebrated early single hits, but the debut album and other singles flopped. The second album with the song “Time of the Season” also hardly sold at first. Bad management did the rest, so that the band soon broke up again.

In interviews, Robert Schwartzman, scion of the far-flung Hollywood dynasty of the Coppolas, elicits first-hand insights into the lives and careers of the “Zombies”, who remained far more down-to-earth than some other rock stars of their generation. He also clarifies how the idiosyncratic spelling of the album “Odessey and Oracle” came about.

Robert Schwartzman started his career appearing in THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, THE PRINCESS DIARIES, and went on to form the platinum-selling rock band “Rooney”. Afterwards, he directed and produced DREAMLAND, THE UNICORN, and THE ARGUMENT. He also co-founded the film/TV production and distribution company Utopia. HUNG UP ON A DREAM – THE ZOMBIES is his documentary directorial debut.

Filmography (selection): 2016 DREAMLAND, 2018 THE UNICORN, 2020 THE ARGUMENT, 2023 THE GOOD HALF; HUNG UP ON A DREAM – THE ZOMBIES

Awards (selection): Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature (Nantucket Film Festival, USA 2023)