Canadian-born actor David Lipper is one step closer to bringing A Christmas Letter to life, as the film’s writer, lead actor and producer prepares to begin shooting in Sault Ste. Marie next week.
A film crew will begin shooting the holiday-themed movie in different parts of the city May 12, and will also use a home in Goulais River for some scenes.
Lipper tells SooToday that his film has been in the works for more than a decade, and was even optioned a couple of times prior to Lipper joining forces with Sault-based 180 Sisterhood Productions in order to work on the film, which is working with a budget less than $2 million dollars. The film production also received assistance in the form of a $500,000 grant from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation.
“I am not one to be knocked down, and when I believe in something, I’m bloody persistent,” said Lipper. “And this was just too special a film for me to let go.”
A Christmas Letter, which boasts an all-Canadian cast which includes Glenda Braganza, Enrico Colantoni, Roger Cross and Colin Mochrie, revolves around the story of a pair of siblings living in Detroit who stow themselves away on a mail truck full of Dear Santa letters bound for Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
“They’re living in a foster home in Detroit, and a couple wants to adopt the cute, young girl but not the older brother, and the kids don’t want to be separated,” said Lipper. “They come up with this idea that they will stow away on the mail truck delivering all those Dear Santa letters.”
“It’s funny. It’s an idea that popped up in my head when I was on location in another film, just kind of wondering where all those Dear Santa letters go. And when I asked the post office about it, they said, ‘well, every letter with an address goes to that address’ and I thought, well, what if there’s a 'North Pole Road', and maybe it’s in Canada?”
Lipper says that although A Christmas Letter will use a handful of filming locations in the Sault, the film crew will primarily be using The Tech on Wellington Street East as its primary location.
“It’s almost like a studio there, so that was a really good find for us,” Lipper said.
Provincial COVID-19 protocols guide film industry
A Christmas Letter will mark the fourth movie Lipper has shot during the COVID-19 pandemic. The previous films were shot in Los Angeles.
“One of the things I make sure of is we have as small a crew as possible. We’re not even going to get close to the 50-person scene that ACTRA tells you not to go beyond, the government tells you not to go beyond,” he said. “It’s not even just the guidelines - it’s also just expensive. We have to test people a lot, and each test is $150, and you can imagine what that does to a production.”
“It’s great that we’ve provided employment for people out here in times where it’s tough to work.”
The City’s director of tourism and community development, Travis Anderson, pointed to The Protector, filmed in the Sault this past winter, as an example of film productions adhering to stringent COVID-19 protocols. Crews were tested frequently, with rapid testing available for staff working on the production.
“Film is classified as an essential industry through the province, and they have some pretty extensive COVID testing practices and overall protocols that are in place, and I think that’s one of the main reasons why they’re continuing to allow that,” said Anderson. “We as the City do not have a role in permitting films, unless they’re looking for city property to film upon.”
“This is an industry that’s regulated by the province, and has authority to operate by the province. We’re always mindful of the challenges that COVID presents versus some of the discrepancies in terms of what’s determined as essential, and the challenges that everyday people are having with the activities that are not allowed.”
A metaphor for what's going on in the world today
Lipper says the world has gone through a tremendous amount of pain and loss this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and films like A Christmas Letter are needed right now to show people that the challenges brought on by a global pandemic can be overcome.
In the movie, Lipper plays the role of a hockey player bound for the National Hockey League until his character's dream of cracking the big time is derailed by an accident.
“While it sounds like a really dark beginning, I think it’s something that people are really going to cling to. It’s going to give all the weight in the world to this movie because we’re all going through so much pain and suffering, and to know that this is where this guy comes from - and then to see how much joy comes through the journey of this film," he said. "That’s kind of my hope, is a metaphor for what’s going on in the world today,”
A Christmas Letter will be distributed by Montreal-based Incendo, and is slated to air on CBC television during the holiday season. Lipper hints that he may not be entirely done with the Sault once shooting wraps up near the end of the month.
“This is my Canadian home for now, and my hope and my goal is that this is just the beginning of many films to come in this area,” said Lipper, who leased a home in the Sault in January. “I have fallen in love with this town from my limited time here, and I’m looking forward to see where that can go.”