Merry Xmas (film)

Last updated
Merry Xmas
Merry Xmas poster.jpg
Directed by Boman Modine
Written byBoman Modine
Matthew Modine
Produced byJoe d'Angerio
Matthew Modine
Adam Rackoff
Starring Dick Van Dyke
Valerie Harper
Glenne Headly
Matthew Modine
CinematographySara Garth
Edited byAlbert Ruis
Music byJuano Lippi
Kevin MacLeod
Ben Wolfe
Distributed by ShortsTV
Release date
  • April 19, 2015 (2015-04-19)(Tribeca)
Running time
7 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Merry Xmas is a 2015 American short film directed by Boman Modine and produced by Cinco Dedos Peliculas LLC. The comedic film had its world premiere at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. In June, the short won the Best "Pilot" Award at the 2015 New Media Film Festival in Los Angeles. During Michael Moore's Traverse City Film Festival, the film screened before a work-in-progress cut of Jen Senko's political documentary, The Brainwashing of My Dad , also produced by Matthew Modine and Adam Rackoff. On August 1, 2015, director Boman Modine and co-producer Adam Rackoff were invited to participate in the "After the Credits" interview series where they discussed the process of casting, shooting, and directing Merry Xmas. [1] On December 11, 2015, it was announced that Merry Xmas closed a deal with Shorts International, the parent company of ShortsHD, to release the film on a variety of digital EST platforms [2] including iTunes Movies, [3] Google Play, [4] Amazon Video, [5] and Verizon. During Christmas week, Merry Xmas was featured on the iTunes Short Films page and landed in the top ten sales chart. Of the top ten films, Merry Xmas was the only live-action film and the only short not produced by Disney or DreamWorks. [6]

Contents

Story

Merry Xmas tells the story of a mischievous father (Dick Van Dyke) who calls his very busy kids (Matthew Modine and Glenne Headly) to tell them that after 55 years of marriage, he and their mom (Valerie Harper) are getting divorced. Horrified by the news, the children prepare to fly home to stop the divorce and save their parent's marriage.

Film Festivals

FestivalStatusScreening DatesAwards/AccoladesFilmmakers In Attendance
Tribeca Film Festival [7] World PremiereApril 19, 20, 23, and 24, 2015Selected to participate in the Tribeca Presents Channel on United Airlines in December.Boman Modine, Joe d’Angerio, Adam Rackoff, Sara Garth
Seattle International Film Festival [8] West Coast PremiereMay 22, 2015Selected to participate in the Starbucks Digital Network during the festival (May 21–24, 2015).
New Media Film Festival [9] Los Angeles PremiereJune 9, 2015Winner, Best Short "Pilot" AwardBoman Modine
Traverse City Film Festival [10] Michigan PremiereJuly 29 and August 1, 2015Official SelectionBoman Modine and Adam Rackoff
Tumbleweed Film Festival [11] [12] Washington PremiereJuly 30, 2015Official Selection
Oldenburg International Film Festival [10] International PremiereSeptember 16–20, 2015Official SelectionBoman Modine
Calabasas Film Festival [13] September 17–20, 2015Official Selection
Long Beach International Film Festival [14] September 24–27, 2015Official Selection
Edmonton International Film Festival [15] Canadian PremiereOctober 7, 2015 (as part of Lunchbox Shorts)Official Selection
Tacoma Film Festival [16] October 8–15, 2015Official Selection
15 Short Film FestivalNorth Carolina PremiereOctober 11, 2015Official Selection
Dallas VideoFest [17] Texas PremiereOctober 16, 2015Official SelectionMatthew Modine
Petaluma International Film Festival [18] October 16–18, 2015Official Selection
Carmel International Film Festival [19] October 21–25, 2015Official SelectionBoman Modine
Washington West Film Festival [20] Virginia PremiereOctober 23 and 24 (as part of Shorts Program Two: Saying Goodbye) and October 24 (before the Ed Asner documentary, My Friend Ed)Official Selection Adam Rackoff
Naples International Film Festival [21] Florida PremiereNovember 5–8, 2015Official Selection
YESfest [22] Indiana PremiereNovember 6–8, 2015Official Selection
Alexandria Film Festival [23] November 7, 2015Official Selection Adam Rackoff
Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival [24] Delaware PremiereNovember 11–15, 2015Official Selection
SHORT CUTS Short Film Series [25] Connecticut PremiereNovember 18, 2015Official Selection Adam Rackoff
Anchorage International Film Festival [26] Alaska PremiereDecember 4–13, 2015Jury’s Selection Reel [27]
FilmLab Festival Italian PremiereOctober 13–16th, 2016Official Selection

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References

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