Local Committee Comes Together to Create the First Annual Sheboygan Film Festival

This celebration of cinema is the Malibu of the Midwest’s very own film fest.

SHEBOYGAN, WI — February 17, 2025 — A group of independent filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts have come together in Sheboygan to organize the inaugural Sheboygan Film Festival (SFF), the Malibu of the Midwest’s very own film fest. The event will take place October 2-5, 2025. They hope the fall event will become a recurring tradition and a cultural fixture of our community. The Sheboygan Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by Belladonna Film Project, a 501(c)3 film production company focused on independent film in the Midwest. The group has been working on the project for about a year but has only recently formalized into a committee.

“Given our robust arts scene and the beautifully quirky character of our town, we believe Sheboygan is ripe for an event of this kind,” said Beah Travis, Founder and Executive Director of Belladonna Film Project and Chair of the SFF Committee. “This is an idea we’ve been talking about with local filmmakers for a long time. It is a lot of work, but we have such a wonderful committee, and everyone we’ve spoken to so far about the event is very eager to get involved. We have the potential here in Sheboygan to put on a world-class film festival. That’s exactly what we plan to do.”

Committee members have begun meeting with various businesses and organizations throughout the county as well as the state’s Tourism Department, offering the opportunity to be involved.

Kohler Foundation has already awarded a grant to start the project, and the committee is exploring additional funding opportunities.

Given the many talented filmmakers in the area, Travis is confident that the SFF’s first event will offer plenty to attract film lovers to Sheboygan this October. The event is already accepting film submissions on FilmFreeway.com, a website used by filmmakers around the world to submit their projects to festivals. Submissions for Wisconsin-based films and filmmakers are free until May 2nd.

“We’re excited to see submissions already flowing in and will be considering submissions through the summer,” said SFF Senior Programmer Jon Gollner. “Given the talent our committee members know of firsthand, we expect our programming to offer something for everyone.”

For more information about the upcoming event, including sponsorship opportunities, submission requirements, or volunteer opportunities, visit the Sheboygan Film Festival website at www.sheboyganfilmfest.com.

About The Sheboygan Film Festival With its inaugural event scheduled to take place October 2-5th, the Sheboygan Film Festival (SFF) is an annual film festival organized by Belladonna Film Project, a 501(c)3 film production company focused on independent film in the Midwest. SFF, the Malibu of the Midwest’s very own film fest, is open to filmmakers worldwide but focuses primarily on bringing regional independent film projects, for audiences of all ages, to the public’s attention. A typical annual program will include dramatic and documentary features, short films, and children’s programming. The event offers daily filmmaker conversations, panel discussions, and other events that showcase filmmakers, their projects, and the city of Sheboygan. To learn more, visit www.sheboyganfilmfest.com.