Hallmark will air Warren native’s film

By GUY D’ASTOLFO

dastolfo@vindy.com

A movie produced by Warren native Sara Elizabeth Timmins will get its broadcast premiere May 19 at 8 p.m. on the Hallmark Movie Channel.

“Lake Effects” stars Scottie Thompson, Jane Seymour, Madeline Zima and Jeff Fahey. The family film is set in Smith Mountain Lake, Va., and was shot there.

Timmins, a graduate of Warren JFK High School and Xavier University in Cincinnati, is the founder of Life Out Loud Films in Los Angeles, which produced “Lake Effects.” As a youth growing up in Warren, she acted in shows at Trumbull New Theatre.

Timmins splits her time between LA and Smith Mountain Lake, where her parents now live. In fact, it was during a visit there that she came up with the concept for the movie, in which she has a small role.

The script for “Lake Effects” was written by Scott Winters. Michael J. McKay was the director.

“Lake Effects” is the story of high-powered attorney Sara (Thompson) who reluctantly returns to her childhood home on beautiful Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia to attend her father’s (Fahey) funeral and help her sister, Lily (Zima), and mother, Vivian (Seymour), settle the family estate.

While there, Sara’s love for the lake and the townspeople is reignited. With the help of her father’s spirit, Sara looks inward, discovers the importance of love and family, and gives her all to save the family’s beloved home.

Because the town’s residents were instrumental in making the film, Timmins has pledged a giveback program that will help fund the cleanup and restoration of the Smith Mountain Lake, which is in southwest Virginia.

Hallmark Movie Channel is a 24-hour cable network that offers family-friendly movies with a mix of classic theatrical films, presentations from the Hallmark Hall of Fame library, original Hallmark Channel movies and special events.