SYMPTOMANIA

Learn more about Bella Bay’s upcoming project, filming in Mississippi in 2026

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WHAT & WHY

Bella Bay is embarking on her newest creative journey, marking this her most personal project to date. Learn more about why this project is being made below.

  • SYMPTOMANIA is a southern-gothic western with elements of magical realism and psychological drama.

    The film follows Destin, a 28 year old nomadic cowboy who, instead of running away with the circus, ran away with the rodeo. After spending a decade estranged from their family, they return home to Mississippi for the passing of their triplet sister, where they reckon with familial grief and chronic illness.

  • SYMPTOMANIA stems from my personal experiences with chronic illness. I began to explore the themes of this project in the aftermath of diagnosis and treatment, becoming deeply acquainted with the specific grief that comes with mourning a potential life one could have lived and that mourning’s ripple effect through a family.

    In early 2025, I had the opportunity to revisit Tylertown, Mississippi where my grandmother was born and raised.

    For the first time since I was an infant, I was able to reconnect with my ancestral community and visit the farm my grandmother grew up on. During my visit I gained clarity around pieces of SYMPTOMANIA that were brewing in the creative corners of my mind, understanding that this was the exact place I was meant to return to and my project demanded to be set. The trip further deepened the close relationship I’ve always had with my grandmother and is one of the many reasons why I have chosen to create a fictionalized family portrait and homage to the Black South. Filming in rural Mississippi has become essential to the making of this film.

    Through the transmutation of these elements I forged a relationship with my protagonist, Destin, who embodies my personal and broader community’s tribulations and represents the persistence of deep familial connection.

    In practice I am a visual poet and Afro-speculative artist. As a filmmaker, I find that genre bending is essential to the subversive nature of my creative process. I'm always seeking new methods to explore the psychological experience of identity.

  • SYMPTOMANIA will be an extended short film with an estimated run time of 25 min.

    Our goal is to raise $25k in creative funds to support crew, cast, collaboration with local community, and the film’s festival run. After completing filming and editing, Bella Bay will take the film to domestic and international festivals for exhibition.

    All contributions help this film get made and offer the artists involved an opportunity to create in a medium they love.

I'M READY TO PLEDGE

LEE KNIGHT

STARRING

as DESTIN

Lee Knight is a professional athlete, musician, actor, and multidisciplinary artist whose work is rooted in physical truth, lived experience, and embodied risk. A rodeo athlete and bull rider, mountain man, and outdoor enthusiast accustomed to coastal and mountain life, Lee brings a rare somatic authority to film.

Their creative work sits at the intersection of queer identity, western mythology, generational trauma, and healing through nature. Lee understands how people push their own boundaries—not for spectacle, but to survive grief, loss, and the weight of what cannot be spoken.

As a musician, composer, and producer, Lee has performed and collaborated with artists including Joe King of The Fray, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, DeVotchKa, and Latin Grammy–winning group Ozomatli. Their musical practice—rooted in rhythm, breath, and restraint—directly shapes their emotionally precise work on camera.

Lee most recently appeared on stage at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts in ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’.

Lee’s screenwork includes a core ensemble appearance in National Anthem (dir. Luke Gilford), featured roles in a short film Call Me Cowboy, documentary short Into the Chutes (dir. Jenna Rice), a short documentary project for National Coming Out Day directed by River Gallo, and as a featured subject on This Is Life with Lisa Ling in the episode “Gay Rodeo”.

SET SHAKUR

as DOTTY & TODDY

Sekyiwa ‘Set’ Shakur is a Philanthropic Enthusiast, passionate activist, dedicated Mental Health & Wellness Advocate, and fierce Heart Leader with over 20 years experience serving in Family Outreach, Program Coordination and Youth Creative Arts Development. She continuously strives for personal & professional growth while encouraging others to stand up for peace, truth, and goodness.

Set is an original board member of the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation, established in 1996. For the last 23 years she has served as the President and Acting CEO of the foundation. In this role her core responsibilities are in developing compliant fundraising practices and serving as an ambassador for the organization by advancing its mission within the community.

In addition to her advocacy initiatives, Set enjoys serving as Creative Advisor to Amaru Entertainment, which was founded by her mother, Afeni Shakur, to produce the unreleased work of her late brother and celebrated icon, Tupac Shakur. Early in her life, Set began her work as a human rights advocate by being the child of Activists and Black Panthers, Mutulu and Afeni Shakur.

Throughout her life she faced many challenges, yet she remained dedicated to her positive virtues of creativity and maintaining peace.

  • “The premise is powerful, and a queer southern-gothic western rooted in rodeo and generational trauma sits very much in my creative and personal terrain. I know Destin all too well— grieving with the horses, running toward danger to survive grief, too tough till you break. The regret. The loss no one else understands.

    I've done it all. I’ve lived it. It's in my bones.”

    Lee Knight | Star of SYMPTOMANIA

  • " I first met Bella while working at a film festival and we connected quickly over shared experiences, creative values, and the kinds of stories we wanted to tell. That rapport deepened when we collaborated on SACCHARINE, where Bella entrusted me with producing and I had the privilege of watching her vision take shape with clarity and intention. Throughout that process, it became clear that Bella approaches filmmaking with both rigor and sensitivity, where she asks hard questions, welcomes collaboration, and remains deeply committed to the emotional truth of her work.

    Our continued collaboration on SYMPTOMANIA has felt like a natural progression, as the project explores parallel themes of family, illness, and trauma with boldness and formal curiosity. Bella is an evolving filmmaker who understands the responsibility of leadership while leaving room for risk, discovery, and trust and I’m genuinely excited to keep creating together as this project moves forward and beyond. "

    - Rae Vehred | Producer for SACCHARINE (2026)

  • " I grew up in New Orleans and spent much of my adolescence in rural Mississippi. So, I felt immediately connected to the world of SYMPTOMANIA when Bella asked me to produce. It was an easy yes, having already witnessed Bella’s evolution as an emerging auteur. SYMPTOMANIA is a visceral and contemplative look at familial inheritance, and it carries that boldness in its play with form. Bella takes risks, never shies away from the challenges of filmmaking, and understands the responsibility we hold as leaders in this collaboration. "

    - Daisy Rosato | Producer for SYMPTOMANIA

Our CREW

Daisy Rosato | Producer

Rosato is a NY-based queer, neurodivergent filmmaker from New Orleans. Her “darkly funny and deeply unsettling” (RueMorgue) short film, POSSUM (Slamdance 2025), played at 12+ festivals, including Final Girls Berlin (Audience Award), and streamed on Shudder through Access:Horror (Best Short). Screenwriting honors: Austin Film Festival, Stowe Story Labs, Studiofest VR. MFA candidate at FGSC. daisyrosato.com

Claire Jamison | Producer

Claire (she/they) is an actor and filmmaker, originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Harpswell, Maine. Claire received her BFA in acting from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Theater Arts (‘13) where she was the recipient of the Patricia Kerr Ross Award for “originality, excellence, and promise in the arts.” Based in Brooklyn, NY Claire is currently an MFA candidate in the 2026 class at Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema, Brooklyn College. In the spring of 2024 Claire was awarded the New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT) scholarship. ClaireJamison.com

Rae Vehred | Associate Producer

Rae Vehred is a filmmaker, illustrator, and artist based in NYC. In choosing to face the absurdity of life head on, she focuses on the surreal, bizarre, and magical in her work. Vehred has a BA in Film and Media Production from Hunter College. She has directed and produced short films, music videos for NYC indie artists, live music events, and film festivals.

zaideraevered.com

Sydney Coleman | Cinematographer

Sydney is a passionate cinematographer with a strong foundation in still photography across various mediums. With experience capturing compelling visuals through different lenses, she brings a unique perspective to the cinematic world. Currently studying cinematography at Brooklyn College, Sydney is dedicated to honing their visual aesthetic while building a body of work, by exploring the intersection of still and motion pictures.

Gaurav Gawankar | 1st Assistant Director

Gaurav Gawankar is a director and photographer based in Brooklyn. After graduating from George Washington University with a BS in Math and International Affairs, Gaurav began making films while working as a data analyst. His films mine the mundane conflicts of everyday life for meaning, catharsis, and hopefully a few laughs. Gaurav is currently pursuing an MFA in Directing from Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema.

Kai Valentine | Co-Producer

Kai is a passionate filmmaker and storyteller. As a New York native, he's developed a strong instinct for story through constant exposure to real people in real environments and their dialogue—an influence that continues to shape his writing. His hands-on experience spans roles in camera work, production, and development. He aims to produce, direct, and write feature films with the ultimate goal of cultivating a community of like minded artists in NYC while providing the space and resources for them to pursue their craft.

Kai Valentine Portfolio

PLEDGE PACKAGES

HORSE SHOE

>$100

"Special Thanks" in the film’s end credits and IMDb listing

All previous rewards + access to the Director’s Curated Playlist

ROCKING HORSE

$200-500

All previous rewards + exclusive access to Behind-the-Scenes footage

STERLING SPUR

$500-1000

All previous rewards + in print Rodeo Zine featuring art from creative development stage

BUTTERFLY LASSO

$1000-2000

$2000-3000

COWBOY CROWN

All previous rewards + invitation to a local & virtual pre-release screening

All previous rewards + signed copy of soundtrack featuring compositions from Lee Knight, prop used on set, and a bound copy of director’s script with set notes

VISIONARY RIBBON

$3000+

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