DIFF INSIDE FILM Screening and Talk Series: "Making of a Hallmark Christmas Movie"

7:00 pm | Monday, December 16, 2024

Violet Crown Cinema Dallas | 3699 McKinney Ave, Dallas, TX 75204

This special holiday program features Christmas movie projects by three award-winning film insiders -- Johnathan Brownlee, Leigh Rachel Faith, and Farah White -- including a screening of Brownlee's film, NAVIGATING CHRISTMAS, which released on Hallmark Channel in 2023. The screening will be followed by a panel conversation moderated by James Faust, DIFF Artistic Director, on what goes into the "Making of a Hallmark Christmas Movie".

Admission is complimentary, but seating is limited and reservations are required.

The panel discussion will be recorded for an upcoming broadcast of the DIFF video podcast, TALKING PICTURES.

GUEST BIOS:

JOHNATHAN BROWNLEE is an award-winning Canadian-American director, showrunner, writer, producer, and actor with a diverse international body of work. His film credits include THREE DAYS IN AUGUST, DECODING ANNIE PARKER, THE STANDOFF AT SPARROW CREEK, OCCUPY, TEXAS, SATANIC PANIC, and PUPPET MASTER. Brownlee is currently in pre-production on THE YETI (Producer), THE EYES OF JEFFERSON (director/co-writer), and developing MY NAME IS KIRA (director/co-writer), MONTSERRAT (director/writer), and the limited series THE WILL ROGERS STORY (showrunner).

NAVIGATING CHRISTMAS (creator & showrunner) released on Hallmark Channel November 17, 2023, and was the #1 most-watched entertainment cable program in the country that night.

https://www.torfoot.com

LEIGH RACHEL FAITH, founder and President of Unleighshed Media Group, Inc., is an award-winning filmmaker with attachments in various capacities including acting, producing, directing and/or writing in over 40 credits across feature films, streaming projects and television on major networks including CBS, Paramount, CW, Syfy and Lifetime. Leigh honed her filmmaking skills by shadowing seasoned producers and directors, including working alongside UMG partner, Costa Vassos.

Leigh was tapped by a prominent Los Angeles producer to curate a slate of low-budget comedy films for a streaming platform. She has since packaged over 20 film and television projects and evaluated hundreds of scripts, budgets and investment proposals. On Leigh’s independent productions, she won Best Female Filmmaker and Best Producer at Miracle Makers International Film Festival and was nominated for Best Actress and Best Thriller by the Pasadena International Film Festival.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188813/

FARAH WHITE is an actor, director and producer. A Dallas native, she enjoys every aspect of the filmmaking process. From writing and directing to producing and acting, there are no film projects too big or too small. With more than 25 years in the business both in front of and behind the camera, she has produced over 35 feature films. Most recently, she directed a feature, LANDLORD FROM HELL (2023) for the LIFETIME movie network and is the Executive Producer of Ondi Timoner’s reimagining of the cult classic, DIG XX (2025). She can be seen on screen in the upcoming releases of CONDITION OF RETURN and CHRISTMAS IN NEW HOPE.

Helping people reach their goals and dreams has always been an important aspect of what Farah does. She is known for encouraging very collaborative sets, setting the tone and pacing for not only a successful but enjoyable experience for all.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0924784/?ref_=nmbio_ov

ABOUT DIFF INSIDE FILM

DIFF INSIDE FILM is a free educational talk series featuring film screenings followed by conversations with directors, producers, screenwriters, actors, and other film industry professionals.

The DIFF INSIDE FILM program is designed to give high school and college film students first-hand, face-to-face access to film industry insiders to guide their path toward career success in film-related professions. It is also open to people working in the local film industry and to film aficionados in the North Texas community. The series features guest speakers and panelists with international, national, regional and local filmmaking backgrounds and experiences.

Screenings and Q&As are curated and moderated by DIFF Artistic Director James Faust, who has provided programming leadership to the Dallas International Film Festival since its inception.

Special thanks to Violet Crown Cinema Dallas, host of this presentation of DIFF INSIDE FILM, https://dallas.violetcrown.com/

This educational community program is made possible by the support of our year-round sponsors:

Season Sponsors: Akin, Bonez Creative Agency, Burned to Light Media and Video Production, Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas Victory Park, Commerce House, DFW MSP, FilmFrog, Harwood, MoviCo, Nowadays Orange Productions, Violet Crown Cinema Dallas, Virgin Hotels Dallas; Government and Foundation Sponsors: City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture, Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District, Moody Fund for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and Texas Commission on the Arts

DIFF INSIDE FILM : "Making of a Hallmark Christmas Movie"