On Dec. 12, 13 and 14, Argentum Entertainment — an Atlanta-based film production company dedicated to creating wholesome, heartfelt films — will screen its new holiday comedy, “Festival of Trees,” at three locations around the city. A portion of the proceeds from the film sales and its screenings will benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
The film follows protagonist Jacquie Miller, played by Kate Miner from “Shameless,” as she attempts to beat her cutthroat, Goliath rival and elevate her struggling interior design business by winning the Festival of Trees Christmas tree decorating competition. Comedy ensues.
Along the way Jacquie is reminded that the spirit of Christmas is not about decorations. Rather, it is about friendship, generosity and love.
“My wife says the film is like ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ but at Christmas,” director Drew Waters said. “It’s a beautiful dance between them. We wanted to make a buddy comedy … a Christmas movie that gets back to what Christmas is all about. It’s about kids, family, joy, happiness and fun. (In the film) the kids remind the adults what Christmas is supposed to be all about.”
Miner shares the screen with child actor Jojo Regina (“Where the Crawdads Sing”), Alpha Trivette (“The Waltons: Homecoming”), Joseph C. Phillips (“13 Reasons Why,” “The Cosby Show”), Josie Davis (“Beverly Hills 90210″) and Atlanta-born newcomer Sara Hayter, who Waters said was “an absolute joy” to watch.
“I saw her (Hayter) and I go, ‘Oh my gosh, she’s perfect. She has that perfect dry sense of humor and wittiness,” he said.
Credit: Argentum Entertainment
Credit: Argentum Entertainment
“Festival of Trees” was shot entirely in Cobb County with help from Georgia businesses. The coffee shop scenes were filmed at the Lazy Labrador Coffee House in Kennesaw. The coffee shop created a custom drink called the Snowcoccino that appears in the film. The beverage is now available on the Lazy Labrador menu.
The Christmas tree area was shot at the Governors Gun Club in Kennesaw. Scott Family Farm, a sustainable Christmas tree farm in Waynesboro, helped set up the tree lot.
The extravagantly decorated trees seen in the Festival of Trees competition scenes were provided by last year’s Georgia Festival of Trees, an annual holiday event that auctions off themed trees crafted by local designers to support nonprofits that stand against human trafficking. The 47 decorated trees featured in the movie were borrowed to film before being delivered to auction winners.
A percentage of proceeds from the film will benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. “Every dollar earned for the film — be it digital purchases, rentals, physical purchases or ticket sales from events — donates 3% of earnings to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta,” Waters said. Donations will increase to 10% of all ticket sales during the Dec. 12-14 screenings.
Credit: Argentum Entertainment
Credit: Argentum Entertainment
Started in 1915, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta helps treat children with complex childhood illnesses and provides access to 2,300 pediatric physicians and health care practitioners across more than 60 pediatric programs. The organization also conducts research and clinical trials.
“This partnership came about because initially our script was set in a generic U.S. city with a generic children’s hospital. Once it was decided that we specifically wanted to call out and celebrate Atlanta as the location for our story, we were very eager to partner with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta as part of our love letter to the city,” Waters said.
The film’s streaming partners at UPtv and UP Faith & Family will soon make the film available in hospital rooms at Children’s Healthcare for free.
“Festival of Trees” was directed by Waters and written and produced by his wife, Erin Bethea. The couple moved to Georgia in 2018 after spending more than a decade in the film industry in Los Angeles.
Fans may recognize Waters from his time playing coach Wade Aikman as a series regular on the NBC TV series “Friday Night Lights.” Bethea has been a writer, producer and actor in mainly faith-based films, including “Facing the Giants,” “Fireproof” and “New Life,” which Waters directed.
The couple, who now live in Town Lake near Woodstock, started their production company, Argentum Entertainment, to create films with redemptive, wholesome storytelling. The company has helped produce 26 films and fully developed four others.
Faith-based films have seen a rise in market viability. Movieguide, which among other things conducts analysis of data from film markets, found that the number of movies with Christian or redemptive content rose from only 10% in 1991 to 59% in 2022. The top 25 domestic earners in 2023 with a “strong or very strong Christian or redemptive worldview” averaged a combined $244.95 million compared to $207.13 million for R-rated movies.
Argentum, Waters said, takes its name from the Latin word for silver.
“It’s the purest form of silver,” he said. “We just wanted to get back to telling good stories on the silver screen. … Our company is based on taking out gratuitous, objectionable content. … We wanted to tell good, quality stories that people could go and watch with their families and feel comfortable doing it.”
“Festival of Trees” premiered on Nov. 24 on UPtv. The film also became available for digital purchase or rental Tuesday on major platforms, including Apple, Google Play, YouTube and Amazon.
IF YOU GO
“Festival of Trees,” benefiting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, will screen at three Studio Movie Grill locations on Dec. 12, 13 and 14. All screenings will be attended by members of the film’s cast and crew. A red carpet, step-and-repeat will open at 6:15 p.m., followed by the screening at 7 p.m. The Dec. 12 screening will take place at the Duluth location (3850 Venture Dr., Duluth, 30096); Dec. 13 at the Alpharetta location (7730 North Point Parkway, Alpharetta, 30022); and Dec. 14 at the Marietta location (40 Powers Ferry Road, Marietta, 30067). Tickets can be purchased online at studiomoviegrill.com/ticketing/start/festival-of-trees.
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