Introduction:
The Belladonna is a film made by two besties who reunited 26 years after filming our home movies and music videos, dancing to Britney Spears (queen!) to make a psychoglitter thriller set in a burlesque club! We grew up with huge dreams, and we wanted to finally chase the ones that truly mattered to us. That’s where the project truly kicked off!
Inspiration:
We grew up terrifying ourselves watching Scream and The Blair Witch Project, but also loved films like Clueless and Jawbreaker. So our film naturally became a mix of all those worlds we adored – a little glitter and camp, a little thriller, with some horror and surrealism sprinkled on top!
The Belladonna has a special place in our hearts for our queer community, all our diva girlies, anyone who ever felt misunderstood and different, those who grew up loving Jawbreaker, Scream, Urban Legend, Clueless and saw themselves in these wildly fabulous, glamorous and imperfect characters, and for those who have dealt with great loss in their life (thank you Cabaret Vs Cancer for the amazing partnership!). The Belladonna is truly genre-bending- mixing glitter with thriller!
The Process:
We filmed over 5 days in September 2025 at the legendary Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club.
The most challenging aspect was all the make-up and costume changes in such a packed schedule! Our 1st AD Alex Sutton was a hero to keep on schedule, and our Hair & Make-Up designer Cha Chabrat and costume designer Lucy James worked miracles.
Our first day shooting was trial by fire. It was the only day we had the dolly rig; we had 25 supporting artists on set, we had 3 dance routines to film, and a child on set. I don’t know how we managed to pull it off, but it turns out it was the best way to get stuck straight into it. The other 4 days seemed like a holiday compared.
What It Means to Be a Finalist:
We are so thrilled to be selected because it was such an important goal for us when making this film to be able to share it with as many people around the country and the world. Our film was made with love by female and queer creatives, and we want to spread that message of love, acceptance and embracing everyone’s diversity as we share our film.
Where to Watch / Follow:
@thebelladonnafilm is where we update everyone on all festival screenings and fun BTS!
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