Cinedigm Celebrates Cross-Cultural ‘Christmas’ (EXCLUSIVE)
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Cinedigm, an independent content distributor and digital platform operator, has acquired North American rights to cross-cultural holiday drama “A New Christmas.” The film will have its world premiere at the Heartland International Film Festival on Oct. 13.
Cinedigm plans to release it in North American cinemas, on digital and on demand in December.
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“A New Christmas” is written by Travis Hodgkins and directed by Daniel Tenenbaum (“Landing Up”).
Indo-American actor Prashantt Guptha (“The Tashkent Files”) stars as a lonely medical student in New York, estranged from his wife. He meets a charming woman from Africa, played by Grace Wacuka (“Before and After”) who persuades him to show her the city’s Christmas decorations, thereby leading him to rediscover the magic of the season and get his life back on track.
The film is produced by U.S. entities Savi Creations (“Tu”) and Mulberry Films (“The Last Laugh”), in association with Besties Make Movies (“Big Exit”)
“Against the backdrop of the quintessential New York holiday season, ‘A New Christmas’ captures all of the most important values of the holiday: love, hope, and the kindness of strangers,” said Yolanda Macias, Cinedigm’s executive VP of acquisitions. “The film emphasizes that no matter where you’re from, Christmas miracles can happen, especially in New York City.”
“Underlying Christmas are the very serious themes of death and rebirth, which we explore in this movie about a man finding love and hope during Christmas after losing his mother,” said producer Rashaana Shah of Mulberry Films.
Guptha, who is also one of the producers, said: “Now is the perfect time to showcase a more integrated America and what Christmas means to one and all.”
The deal was negotiated by Cinedigm’s director of acquisitions Josh Thomashow and Shah on behalf of the filmmakers.
Guptha’s filmography as an actor also includes “Neerja” that showed as part of the Busan Cinema Center’s annual screenings in 2018.
Images courtesy Savi Creations.
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