Brand New Chicago-Made Christmas Movies to Add to Your Holiday Watchlist

Christmas is here, and there are plenty of Chicago-made movies for you to enjoy in cozy comforts of your home this weekend. And not just those classics from twenty years ago, we’re talking about Chicago Christmas productions that were made this year. Here’s a fabulous foursome for you and your family over the holidays…

One of the Most Watched on Disney+

Set in Chicago, made in Chicago, Christmas Again recently premiered on Disney+ and has been an immediate hit. The movie was the #7 most watched on the streaming supernetwork over the past week.

“Christmas lovers will love that it’s a feel good Christmas movie all of the family can enjoy together,” Producer Brett Hays told SCREEN earlier today. Hays’ Chicago team included UPM Kevin McGrail and 1st AD Anthony Cabral. The cast is highlighted by Wisconsin native Beth Lacke, joined by Windy City actors Meg Thalken, Matt DeCaro, Ronald Conner, Deanna Reed-Foster, and a memorable cameo from Chicago Bears great Israel Idonije.

In Christmas Again, 12-year-old Rowena makes a wish and unexpectedly finds herself reliving Christmas Day over and over again. Here’s a quick preview…

Christmas Thriller Premieres on Ion Network

The holiday thriller A Christmas Witness filmed in Naperville and the Chicagoland area earlier this year. Arielle Kebbel, Colin Egglesfield headline the cast. Chicago actors include LaDonna Tittle and Joette Waters. Production companies for the Ion Network feature include investor collective Chicago Media Angels.

In A Christmas Witness, federal agent Jessie babysits Dean McCoy until he testifies before a grand jury a few days after Christmas. As the two try to save a small town’s holiday lighting ceremony and fight off hit men at the same time, they form a romantic connection.

Click here to give this movie a watch on the Ion Network all weekend.

Hamilton Star Headlines The Christmas Pitch

The Christmas Pitch, produced by Illinois production and distribution company, Questar Entertainment, is now available for your holiday viewing pleasure on Amazon Prime and Vudu. The diverse cast is led by Joseph Morales, who assumed Lin-Manuel Miranda’s role of Alexander Hamilton for the Chicago run and national tour, and Alexa Maria Huerta (The Chi, Shameless). Directed by Layne Marie Williams, the feature filmed this past April and May in the Downtown Loop district, before riding its sleigh through the Chicagoland suburbs, including Oak Park, Evanston, and Glen Ellyn.

The Christmas Pitch follows William and Becca, two executives at a big-time marketing firm in Chicago, who are sent to William’s hometown of Kringle Lake to rediscover the spirit of Christmas. While there, William’s brother’s bakery is forced to close its doors. William and Becca work together on a plan to save the bakery, and in doing so, they find the Christmas spirit, and more, in each other.

Christmas with Felicity Now on AMC+

The family-friendly movie Christmas with Felicity is now streaming on AMC+, click here to enjoy it over the holidays. While Christmas with Felicity is primarily set in the fictitious Wisconsin town of Aspen Grove, the majority of  the film was shot on location in Historic Downtown Long Grove and included over a dozen local businesses and  residences as well as Historic Wagner Farm in Glenview and Cutting Hall Performing Arts Center in Palatine with additional scenes filmed at residences in Barrington and Buffalo Grove.

This charming Yuletide fare was directed by award-winning, Chicago-based filmmaker Jack C. Newell. The film stars Sarah Brooks (NBC’s Chicago Med), Herb Porter (Dog Jack), up-and-comer Saige Chaseley, and a host of other Chicago actors.

After failing in business and in love, a downtrodden Felicity Olson moves back home with one goal: make enough money to reclaim her life in Chicago. But when a handsome, Christmas-loving dairy farmer inspires her to start a new baking business, their connection challenges Felicity to find the positive in life and rekindle her holiday spirit once again.

Here is your first look at the holiday stocking stuffer for your small screen…

Enjoy the holiday season and for more of the latest in film and television news in Chicago and the Midwest, click here to subscribe to SCREEN’s once-weekly newsletter.