Havana, Aug 4 (IANS/EFE): Cuba's first-ever zombie film is scheduled to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and later will be screened at another major cinema gathering in Spain, local media reported Wednesday.

"Juan of the Dead", a Cuban-Spanish co-production directed by Cuban filmmaker Alejandro Brugues, will be part of the lineup at the 36th edition of the Toronto event, to be held from Sep 8-18.

The film also will be screened in October during the Sitges Film Festival in northeastern Spain and will be the featured film of Zombie Walk, a popular annual night-time event at Sitges in which festival-goers parade on the streets of the seaside town dressed as zombies.

The Sitges fest specialises in fantasy and horror movies.

A genre-blending film that combines comedy, action and horror, "Juan of the Dead" tells the story of a zombie invasion of Havana, where a local resident starts a business to profit from the situation and rescue the island's inhabitants from this latest crisis.

According to Brugues, the film explores how Cubans behave and react when faced with difficulties and their creativity in "scraping out a living".

Filmed in Havana with a budget of more than 2 million euros ($2.9 million), the film's cast includes Cubans Alexis Diaz de Villegas, Jorge Molina and Andros Perugorria, as well as Spaniards Andrea Duro and Antonio Dechent.