Synopsis
Grace Bennett is a talented journalist who’s lost her faith in love after a painful breakup. Focused on proving herself and landing a long-overdue promotion, Grace stumbles upon a forgotten love letter hidden inside a vintage Christmas tin. Encouraged by her ever-hopeful best friend, she travels to the picturesque town of Springton to uncover the mystery behind the letter, and maybe turn it into the story of her career. But Springton has surprises of its own. As Grace is welcomed by the quirky charm of the locals and the quiet strength of James Cook, the town’s handsome sheriff, she begins to feel something she thought she’d lost forever: hope. While clues about the letter’s origin slowly come to light, so does a deepening connection between Grace and James. With a Christmas Eve deadline fast approaching, Grace’s path to promotion is threatened by a competitive co-worker who will stop at nothing to steal the story. Now, Grace must decide: will she return to her old life and climb the career ladder, or take a chance on love and finally write her own happy ending?
Filled with holiday magic, heartfelt romance, and a dash of small-town mystery, The Christmas Letter is a cozy, uplifting journey of second chances. Perfect for anyone who still believes in love, destiny, and the spirit of the season.
DAWN KRANTZ - Producer
Ms. Krantz brings a remarkable breadth of experience across the entertainment, real estate, and financial sectors, with deep roots in Hollywood, including the founder of Paramount Pictures and an Oscar-nominated screenwriter. Launching one of the most successful independent video store chains in the country led to Dawn’s role as Chairman of the Video Software Dealers Association, where she produced the world’s most successful entertainment convention and collaborated with the MPAA on legislative matters, including protecting the First Amendment, shaping the video industry during its heyday. Ms. Krantz’ went on to produce over a dozen feature films, work complemented by her involvement on the boards of South by Southwest, Texas Angel Investors, The Capital Network and has been recognized as Austin’s Business Woman of the Year, Video Retailer of the Year, and was nominated for Entrepreneur of the Year by INC. Magazine. Current projects include two Black List scripts: a coming-of- age dark comedy in partnership with Oscar-winning producer David Permut starring Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Andie McDowell, and Alexander Ludwig, and a WWII set drama about legendary director William Wyler’s efforts to make MRS. MINIVER, and how it helped change the course of the war.
Meet the Team
Lisa France - Director
Lisa France graduated with honors from Brooklyn College with a double major in Biology and Philosophy. At Brooklyn she was a Division I basketball player and cross country and track runner. After graduation France played professional basketball for the Manchester Giants in Manchester, England. Upon returning to the United States, she attended Ohio State University where she graduated with a MA in Somatic Studies. As she spent a good percentage of her time in Ohio, she was fairly unfamiliar with the film business. It wasn't until she saw "Meet Joe Black" shooting in her neighborhood that she became smitten with making films. She entered the film business as a production assistant and then initiated her SAG career as a stunt double in Spike Lee's "He Got Game." In 1999 she wrote, directed, starred and produced her first short film, "Love In Tow" In 2000 she won Best Comedy for "Love In Tow" at Filmstock Film Festival in London. She then France executive produced "Fair Play" (written and directed by Joanie Wread) starring John Heard and Ed Asner. France continues to do stunt work in addition, to acting and directing.
ELIZABETH GAST - Screenwriter & Producer
Elizabeth is an accomplished producer, screenwriter, and actress with a career that spans film, television, and publishing. She began her journey at just 15, winning John Casablanca’s “Look of the Year” modeling contest in her hometown of St. Louis, which led to representation with Elite Model Management in New York City. Her modeling career soon transitioned into acting, where she appeared alongside Kevin Spacey in The Life of David Gale, Josh Lucas in Secondhand Lions, and John Savage in Bullet. A graduate of UCLA’s Film School screenwriting program, Elizabeth honed her storytelling skills as Head of Development at The Goldstein Company before breaking into television writing for SeaQuest DSV and Picket Fences. She later co-founded Nightfall Productions, Inc. with her late husband, director Joe Napolitano, developing over ten feature films and two television series. In addition to screenwriting, Elizabeth is the author of multiple children’s books and the young adult novel Kiss the Moon, co-written with celebrated author Trevor Romain. Currently, Elizabeth is producing Afterward starring Aaron Eckhart with Lionsgate/Grindstone, and Boys Republic, which she also co-wrote.
FRANK MAYOR - Producer
With operations spanning the music, television, and film industries and over 40 years of experience across entertainment, legal, real estate, and financial transactions, Frank Mayor is a seasoned professional in the business of entertainment. Mr. Mayor’s career began in the music industry. In 1987, Frank acquired interests in five major recording studios and created Ruthless Management, working with a wide variety of legendary acts such as Guns N’ Roses, Faith No More, Cheap Trick, Heart, Vanessa Williams, Roy Orbison, The Ventures, and Brian Wilson. His contributions extended to film in 2002, when he acquired ownership of over 1,000 film titles now distributed worldwide through Cinevision Global. The company also operates a full-service post-production and international distribution entity. In his career, Frank has produced more than 20 feature films and several television series, and was a pioneer in global commerce, being among the first to open opportunities in China for entertainment related ventures, representing major organizations internationally, The Music Copyright Society of China, China Record Corporation, and continues to develop content tailored for the Chinese market, supported by an output deal with China Central Television.
