New Bedford abolitionist Mary Polly Johnson's biopic wraps filming: Here's whats next

NEW BEDFORD ― Completing production on Nov. 13, "Sweet Freedom,” the short film focusing on the story of Mary Polly Johnson filmed in the New Bedford area, is ready to start post-production.

"Our 5-day production was a rollercoaster of challenges, the kind that rarely come the way of independent filmmakers early in their career," said writer and director Alyssa Botelho.

"Each day brought a new obstacle, from synchronizing a horse-drawn carriage with a man on horseback to orchestrating a party scene in a mansion and wrangling child actors just hours before a major fight scene."

Set in 1839 New Bedford, the short film focuses on the life of Black abolitionist Mary Polly Johnson. Written and directed by Botelho, the film explores Johnson’s entrepreneurial journey, family life and her involvement in the Underground Railroad.

Who is Mary Polly Johnson?

Born in 1795, Johnson was a prominent Black abolitionist and public speaker during the early 19th century. Her public speaking engagements to support the antislavery cause included speaking engagements at African Meeting Houses (churches) and conventions held by the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society.

She was active in the efforts to abolish slavery in the United States before the passage of the 13th Amendment and the Emancipation Proclamation.

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Filming took place across the South Coast area

At various locations around New Bedford, Freetown, Marion, and South Dartmouth, the movie was filmed Nov. 9-13, featuring an array of period scenes from horse and stagecoach chases to mansion parties.

"The film's quality is set to match the caliber of our cast and crew, and the vibrant energy on set. Crafting an exceptional film and having a blast doing it? Believe it or not, that's a rare combo," she said, adding that veteran crew members told her it was “the most visually stunning film they've worked on yet."

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Botelho has also directed and written the short films “Junkie,” “Seacrets,” “The Things We Leave Behind,” “Santa’s Bell,” and four installations of “Hometown Haunts” about ghost stories in the Fairhaven area.

Brandice Peltier, who plays Polly Johnson, recently performed the one-woman show “Queen Bess, The Bessie Coleman Story,” as well as appeared in “Think Like a Killer” on the ID Channel.

The cast also stars Kayla Garabedian as Patty, Mark Bracich as Ridgell, Precious Osarenkhoe as Betsey Gibson as well as cast members Aria Jamilla, Paul Kandarian, Peter Mendes and Mamadou Toure as Frederick Douglas.

The short film is also still raising funds on IndieGoGo, a crowdsourcing website. All the information about the film is on the fundraising page as well as asking people to help support the film financially. As of Nov. 29, the page had raised $4,835 out of its $10,000 goal.

Heading into the editing room

As Botelho dives into the editing process, she said she is eager to piece everything together alongside her editor, Nick Doyle.

"They say a film is written three times: on the page, on set, and in the editing room. Having witnessed first-hand the raw emotional performances from our cast and watching the beautiful footage on the monitors, I'm confident we've got a gem on our hard drives," she said.

When the film is completed, Botelho said she plans to host public screenings in New England, visit New England high schools to enrich education on the pre-Civil War era, offer "Masterclass" lessons for aspiring filmmakers in SouthCoast Massachusetts, and enter into top-tier film festivals like Tribeca and Sundance.

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She said she has a script idea for a feature film down the road.

"This is a film poised to make waves well beyond New England, and I couldn't be prouder of my team," Botelho said.

Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at schitwood@s-t.com. Follow him on twitter:@ChitwoodReports.Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Alyssa Botelho's short film 'Sweet Freedom' completes filming in MA