Zach Bandler
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Zach is an American director and screenwriter. His drama "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. His medical comedy "Torn" premiered with Directors Notes in 2019.
As a screenwriter, his feature film screenplay "Land of the Young" was named by Francis Ford Coppola as winner of the 2023 American Zoetrope Screenplay Competition, and was a Semifinalist in the 2024 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. His screenplays have also been Finalists in the prestigious ScreenCraft Feature Competition, the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards and Cinequest Screenwriting Competition, as well as shortlisted for the ScreenCraft Film Fund.
Zach served as a 2022 Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health with the Global Brain Health Institute in Dublin, Ireland, where his work explored the intersection of narrative film with advocacy for those with neurodegenerative and psychological conditions. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Theatre from Northwestern University, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Brain Health from Trinity College Dublin. He is an author on the neurobiological benefits of hope, and is presently researching cinematic empathy through his cross-sectional work in impact-driven entertainment and neuroscience.
As a screenwriter, his feature film screenplay "Land of the Young" was named by Francis Ford Coppola as winner of the 2023 American Zoetrope Screenplay Competition, and was a Semifinalist in the 2024 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. His screenplays have also been Finalists in the prestigious ScreenCraft Feature Competition, the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards and Cinequest Screenwriting Competition, as well as shortlisted for the ScreenCraft Film Fund.
Zach served as a 2022 Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health with the Global Brain Health Institute in Dublin, Ireland, where his work explored the intersection of narrative film with advocacy for those with neurodegenerative and psychological conditions. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Theatre from Northwestern University, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Brain Health from Trinity College Dublin. He is an author on the neurobiological benefits of hope, and is presently researching cinematic empathy through his cross-sectional work in impact-driven entertainment and neuroscience.
