In collaboration with Sophia Stephens of Philosophia Productions, Brian Owens and his LIFE Creative Group artistic infrastructure have co-written, directed, and produced two short holiday films, “A New Holiday” and “An Intimate Christmas,” which will both air Christmas Day on NINE PBS.
“You had amazing times you don’t wanna lose or forget, but you still have to keep an open mind.”
The films are associated with Owens’ LIFE Creative STL Ecosystem which encompasses his for-profit LIFE Creative Group production company. It provides resources and creative opportunities for underserved communities interested in telling the stories of St. Louis through film, television, music, and more.
Additionally, the company benefits Life Arts Inc., a non-profit Owens founded in 2015 now functioned by Darius Williams, centered around developing today’s leaders through people development with an arts approach. The two work simultaneously in bridging the gap between an individual and an institution, building an industry that benefits the community.
“A New Holiday,” follows the story of 10-year-old Thelma played by Riley Adams, as she’s stricken with tragedy from losing her grandmother during the Christmas season. Her grief soon turns to hope, joy, and love, which shows her the true meaning of the holiday.
Although Adam’s life experience differs from her character’s as she’s never lost anyone close to her, she said she was able to place herself in Thelma’s shoes from the aspect of how she feels having not seen her grandmother in a long time.
“I haven’t seen my grandmother face-to-face in years, and it makes my heart sad sometimes knowing that because she always has kind words for me and gives me a lot of confidence,” she said.
Adams also said it’s important to live life even after losing a loved one.
“When you lose someone and have to face doing one of their favorite things to do without them, you have to persist and make sure you don’t stop since they’re gone,” she said. “You had amazing times you don’t wanna lose or forget, but you still have to keep an open mind.”
Owens and Stephens said the main message they want viewers to take from “A New Holiday,” despite the unprecedented times of the ongoing pandemic, is we still have a lot to be grateful for.
“There’s a line in the film where I say, ‘A gift from the past is unwrapping the joy you once had,’” Stephens said. “We filmed in the middle of the pandemic and were fully aware of what was happening. We didn’t want to act like we didn’t know what was happening. We wanted to encourage those who have lost loved ones from COVID-19 and/or maybe suffering from other circumstances.”
The all-Black cast also stars Stephens, who plays the role of Joy, Kennedy Holmes from NBC’s “The Voice,” jazz singer Anita Jackson, and nine-time Grammy-winning trumpeter Wynton Marsalis as the narrator. It also features musical performances from Bebe Winans, Karen Clark-Sheard and saxophonist David Sanborn.
The original music is by Owens, Jarrett Johnson, Charles Ransom and Stephanie Holly.
“A New Holiday” was filmed at Jazz St. Louis, Powell Symphony Hall and Sheldon Concert Hall.
Owens said “An Intimate Christmas” was written with Malena Smith in mind, an up-and-coming singer-songwriter he’s mentored since 2015, who he sees great potential in.
“I wanted to build something around positioning Malena, so people can really see what I see in her and I thought a holiday film would be the perfect place to do that,” he said.
A press release says, “the film is a Christmas musical that chronicles the lead role of Smith, who’s thrown into a holiday livestream at the last minute by her overenthusiastic director, whose actions exhibit questionable behavior in the name of the holiday spirit.”
Smith, primarily a singer-songwriter, said she had an amazing time playing herself and that it almost didn’t feel like she was acting. She said she wants viewers to walk away from the film knowing that less is more and it’s enough to be themselves.
“I’m an outgoing person, who can be fiery sometimes, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned life is about simplicity and the little things that don’t need a ton to make things meaningful,” she said.
She sang and recorded two songs for the film, “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” and “Auld Lang Syne,” both out on all streaming platforms.
The Mighty Pines, Joshua “Paco” Lee and Soul Sanctuary have feature appearances in the film. It was filmed on location at the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ Touhill Performing Arts Center.
Both productions are approximately 30-minutes long and will air back-to-back on Christmas Day 10:30-11:30 p.m. CT. They will also be available online, on-demand via www.ninepbs.org and the PBS Passport platform.
Starting on Christmas Day (through early January), both productions will also be available to watch in full on Brian Owens’ YouTube channel: www.YouTube.com/BrianOwensSoul.
Paid interns contributed to both films and AP for LIFE Artists in Residence, who helped with scripting, set design, filming, and post-production.
“These productions are a testament to God’s grace and the rich talent that we have right here in St. Louis,” Owens said in a press release. “To accomplish productions of this caliber with high-quality talent, story and visuals was beautiful for all involved. We’re thrilled to re-spotlight our 2020 production of ‘A New Holiday’ and, release new for 2021, ‘An Intimate Christmas’ in time for the holidays. These are diverse, homegrown holiday stories that can freely be enjoyed by all, thanks to our friends at NINE PBS.”
