THE WALKING DEAD's Ross Marquand Stars in HAJJI, Premiering at Dances With Films on June 9

Filmmaker R. H. Norman will show his most recent narrative short film HAJJI at the 21st Annual Dances With Films at the TCL Chinese Theaters in Hollywood, Saturday, June 9th at 2:45PM. The festival runs June 7- 17th.

Ross Marquand (The Walking Dead) plays a soldier in a reality-based conflict zone in HAJJI, an inspired-by-true-events short which explores the cycle of violence caused by modern warfare in the Middle East.

Written and directed by R.H. Norman, the story follows two soldiers, played by Marquand and actor Dayo Okeniyi (Hunger Games, Shades of Blue), and their interaction with a local family, which culminates in an unfortunate act of unspeakable violence. The film is produced by David Lawson Jr., a U.S. Air Force veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was drawn to the project by its unique perspective on war.

Norman, who was mentored by Werner Herzog and whose other short films include "Gusano" and "Mulberry", is also known as a producer, editor, storyboard artist and colorist. "Hajji" also stars Maddie Rien, Ray Haratian (Argo), Dajan Ahmad, Bahara Golestani, and Rajeev Chhibber. In addition to producers Okeniyi, Marquand, Lawson, and Norman, the film was produced by Micheline Pitt, Sean McDaniel, Christopher Ely, Damir Omic, and John Thomas Schrad of ReKon Productions.

The final lineup will feature more than 200 titles, chosen from a record 2,200 submissions from all over the globe. The juried narrative competition section includes 16 features and more than three-dozen shorts. DWF also has a category for groundbreaking short and feature documentaries, provocative genre fare in the Midnight section, and the most exciting music videos and dance-themed films from the indie scene in the Downbeats section. The Fusion section brings together a multitude of additional features and shorts.

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