So This Is Christmas
In a quiet little Irish town, the approach of Christmas can be overwhelming. SIFF alum Ken Wardrop (Making the Grade, 2018) follows five villagers as they make preparations for an emotionally taxing but ultimately fulfilling time of year.
Following the May 10 screening, the Irish Heritage Club will be hosting an after-party just around the corner at T.S. McHugh's Irish Pub & Restaurant! No RSVP required.
Attend the May 11 screening for an Irish-themed trivia giveaway of merch and prizes from Irish Network Seattle. After the film, join them down the street at The Old Pequliar, where they'll be hosting a happy hour after-party!
Christmas—it’s the most wonderful time of the year, except when it isn’t. In a quiet little Irish town, anticipation for the impending holiday season is growing. Christmas trees are cut, colorful lights and evergreen garlands trim the eaves, children diligently write letters to Santa, and festive music is everywhere. It’s all getting very bright and very loud, and before you know it, very expensive, too. In his latest documentary, So This Is Christmas, filmmaker Ken Wardrop (Making the Grade, SIFF 2018) navigates the fraught emotions that the holidays evoke. For Loretta, an unemployed mother of three, it’s the desire to give your children what they want while also managing realistic expectations. Meanwhile, Jason, a recently widowed father, tries to make this year’s celebrations as cheerful as possible for his two boys, despite the huge, undeniable absence in their lives. And what does a Yuletide feast represent when you suffer from an eating disorder? Yet even those who are among the most Christmas-skeptic happen upon true moments of exuberance and glee. By juxtaposing these stories in a mosaic-like narrative, a larger, more profound picture of the Christmas Season emerges, full of all the joys, sorrows, and ambivalence found in everyday life.
- Director: Ken Wardrop
- Premiere Status: U.S.
- Country: Ireland
- Year: 2023
- Running Time: 90 min.
- Producer: Andrew Freedman, Samantha Corr
- Screenplay: Ken Wardrop
- Cinematographers: Narayan Van Maele
- Editors: John O’Connor
- Music: Eímear Noon, Craig Stuart Garfinkle
- Website: Official Film Website
- Filmography: Making The Grade (2017), Mom & Me (2015), His & Hers (2009)
- Language: English
- International Sales: Autlook Filmsales GmbH