As I write this, I do not know how the battle between Winnipeg and Pittsburgh to be the location for George Romero's new film will resolve itself. If the fourth of his zombie films, "Land of the Dead," does come here, it will have an overall economic impact estimated at bringing more than $15 million to southwestern Pennsylvania's economy, not to mention giving immeasurable publicity to the town that was the birthplace of "Night of the Living Dead" movies. If it does not, it may prove a painful education in how the entertainment industry works and what this region might do differently to attract the film business.

		Carl Kurlander is a screenwriter, a visiting assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh and a co-founder of the Steeltown Entertainment Project (ckla2@yahoo.com).

County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, representatives of the governor, the Pittsburgh Film Office, state legislators, union officials and other regional leaders have been working diligently to try to bring the film here. They face a considerable challenge given the tax incentives and currency rates that have made Canada a more economical place to shoot films. It will be an interesting test of Pennsylvania's new tax incentive legislation to see if that can make a difference in getting this film shot here. But I would like to give a few reasons why this movie in particular is so important to this region.

"Night of the Living Dead" is part of Pittsburgh's brand. Like Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, it was a locally grown export that got world attention. The original movie, shot here over 35 years ago, was recently included in the American Film Institute's top 100 thriller list and its director, George Romero, is not only a regional treasure, but internationally recognized and respected. In a recent Variety cover story, Mark Canton, former head of Warner Brothers and Columbia and chairman of Atmosphere Entertainment, which is producing this film, said the script for "Land of the Dead" showed "the master had not lost his touch" and credited Romero's early work as being "the touchstone for a slew of current horror hits." The success of Romero films helped create a local film industry by training many of the crew members who worked during the film boom of the 1990s. Fiercely loyal to his hometown, George has shot almost all of his 14 movies in Pittsburgh, but regretfully had to go to Canada to shoot his last one because of financing.

Should the film come here, after the rough year Pittsburgh has had, imagine the headlines national media would find hard to resist: DEAD MOVIE BRINGS TOWN BACK TO LIFE!

Imagine that based on the success of this film (and having read the script, I would bet on it), George Romero using his rekindled clout to bring more movies here, stimulating our creative economy the way "Spy Kids" director Richard Rodriguez has done for Austin and "Sixth Sense" director M. Night Shyamalan has done for Philadelphia. Imagine graduates from Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center and other universities being able to use their skills doing special effects here instead of going off to work at Pixar or Industrial Light and Magic in California.

Imagine a whole new generation of young people recognizing Pittsburgh's skyline -- which is showcased heavily in this screenplay -- and thinking of this city as "cool." Imagine the excitement of "Land of The Dead" premiering here next year as part of a "movies started here" centennial celebration of the world's first motion picture theater, which opened across from Kaufmann's and made Pittsburgh a film mecca in 1905. (The Warner brothers opened their first movie theater soon after in New Castle.)

It is good for the economy when any movie shoots here, but because this film has been generated by the city's most prominent filmmaker with a track record of commercial success, this film represents a singular opportunity with long-term benefits to the region. Should Pittsburgh lose this film as it has lost others to Canada, it will be losing much more than a movie. It will be losing a franchise that has been deeply associated with the city -- the film equivalent of losing the Pirates or Penguins.

One might want to ask why strangers from Los Angeles and France (where the investors are from) are willing to risk $15 million to $20 million to make a film written by a guy in Pittsburgh. According to Variety, the original "Night of the Living Dead" cost $140,000 and grossed $20 million worldwide, making it one of the most profitable films of all time. The sequel cost $1.2 million and grossed $40 million worldwide. Hollywood wants to shoot a movie where it is most economical. But ultimately, folks, they know that the real money is in the development and ownership of creative product -- a business Pittsburgh might want to get more deeply into.

Pittsburgh native Bernie Goldmann, president of the company producing "Land of The Dead," met George Romero for the first time last fall at the Steeltown Entertainment Summit. One of the hopes of that summit was that Pittsburgh's film and television expatriates who still feel close to this region might come back here to do some of the creative work they have done, which has generated tens of billions of dollars for companies in L.A. and New York. Another was that regional leaders who attended would better understand this business and the vital role it might play in Pittsburgh's economic future. With the recent passage of the gaming legislation, Pennsylvania will be participating more in an entertainment industry that is projected to reach $300 billion in revenue by 2006. This film can be yet another way in which this area can participate in this fast-growing sector of the economy.

I personally will be saddened if Pittsburgh loses this "Night of the Living Dead" franchise to Canada. But I will remain a passionate believer in the potential of this city's remarkable, but still largely commercially untapped, creative community. Here's hoping too that soon the Dead will again be walking in Pittsburgh