Former Sheboygan resident, Maria “Beah” Travis, is looking for Lakeland students to work on her film, “Belladonna.” 

Travis grew up in Sheboygan County and attended Plymouth High School. One of her first experiences in the film industry was working on a show called, “A Crime to Remember” for four years in New York. She has also worked on independent films and in various departments, mainly production.  

 “Belladonna” is a “coming-into-old-age film about women,” explained the director, Beah Travis. The film will feature three older, midwestern women and focus on issues such as, “aging, end-of-life care, and female empowerment.”  

According to her website, Belladonna the Film, the plot is “When a 75-year-old, midwestern woman discovers a mysterious poisonous berry bush in her backyard, she decides to take her husband’s end-of-life care into her own hands and finds herself battling with the past as she tries to reclaim her life.” 

Travis visited Lakeland on October 10th, to discuss her film and the seven internship opportunities that will be open to students. There will also be auditions for anyone interested in acting in the movie. 

“It has been said that you need a village to raise a child, and I think the same applies to producing a film,” commented writing professor, Jodie Mortag. “Belladonna interns will be co-parenting alongside a diverse community comprised of professional writers, artists, designers, technicians, even accountants to bring this script to the screen. The selected students will have the chance to develop new skills that cannot be learned in the classroom… this will be experiential learning at its best.” 

Production will run for three to four weeks during the summer of 2020. Once completed, Travis has plans to submit the film to the Milwaukee and Sundance Film Festivals.  

Travis said, “I always wanted to make my own film, and I wanted to make it back here.” She is very excited to “get the community involved in the production process.” 

Mortag added, “It’s not every day (or any day) that a movie is made in Sheboygan. To miss out on this opportunity, to see this film on the big screen knowing you played a role in its creation, would be a tragedy.” 

For students interested in interning or acting visit  www.belladonnathefilm.com or email Beah at [email protected].