Christmas movie filmed there airs Thursday on Lifetime
The historic Platte County town of Weston will get a piece of the national spotlight this week.
A Christmas-themed movie filmed in Weston in the summer of 2020 finally makes it to your television screens on Thursday, Dec. 23 at 7 p.m. local time. That’s when the movie, now titled “Rebuilding a Dream Christmas,” will air on the Lifetime channel.
Several area residents signed up to serve as “extras” in the movie, and are in the background during several scenes.
As you can imagine, the folks around Weston are excited to finally get to view the film and some local watch parties are planned.
“To say that we are honored to be chosen is an understatement. We are so very excited to see the movie. I think we have always thought of Weston as an amazing and friendly town full of charm and wonder. We are completely humbled that we were chosen as the setting for their movie,” Kent Stelljes, mayor of Weston, recently told Landmark reporter Valerie Verkamp.
There will be a special episode of Landmark Live, the Platte County Landmark’s videocast on Facebook, on Wednesday night, Dec. 22, focusing on the Weston movie. Landmark Live will show the trailer for the movie, which is about a minute and a half long.
Landmark Live airs Wednesday night at 6 p.m. at Platte County Landmark on Facebook. The show will remain available on The Landmark’s Facebook page for viewing at your leisure, and will also be available on The Landmark’s YouTube channel.
In production, movie makers announced the film had a working title of “Christmas on Display.” It appears that in post production the movie has taken as many as three different names, and the final title is “Rebuilding a Dream Christmas.”
A listing on the web site of the movie’s distributors at one point listed the title as “Christmas Comes Home.” But a listing on the imdb.com web site initially listed the title as “My Christmas Wish.”
IMDb is an online database of information related to films, television programs, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, plot summaries, trivia, ratings, and fan and critical reviews.
Movie makers are Isaac Alongi, cinematographer, and his wife, director Sandra Martin.
“Locals showed up in the middle of summer ( in 2020) with sweltering hot temperatures in winter coats, hats, gloves, scarves. Everyone was very accommodating and the movie just wouldn’t be the same without them,” Alongi recently said in an interview with The Landmark.
Martin and Alongi have made at least five movies in the Kansas City metro over the last few years.
THE WESTON MOVIE
“Rebuilding a Dream Christmas” is listed in the drama/romance genre on imdb.com.
Distributors are listed as American Cinema Inspires (ACI).
On the imdb.com web site, the plot is described as:
“With help from her childhood crush and his six-year-old son, Abbey rediscovers her Christmas spirit as she re-creates her grandmother’s handmade ornaments for her hometown’s annual Christmas fair.”
In the listing on the web site aci-americancinema.com, the synopsis reads like this:
“On the verge of a promotion, a successful real estate broker, Abbey, is forced back to her hometown to repair a Victorian inherited from her grandmother. Upon returning home, she decides to sell the house and hires a single dad, Josh, to help with the repairs. Together they find a delightful Christmas treasure hidden in the home by Abbey’s grandmother. Memories of her past paired with a growing relationship with Josh and his eight-year-old son, Noah, help Abbey to discover that her destiny lies not in selling homes but in finding and making a home for herself.”
CAST
Cast members for the movie made in Weston are listed as:
Ashton Leigh as Karen.
Zane Stephens as Josh.
Meggan Kaiser as Abbey.
Patty Lambert as Janet.
Bryson JonSteele as Noah
Jon W. Sparks as Nick.
Maxie McClintock as Ellen.
Liana Osgood as Brenda.
Kevin Wayne Walker as Mark.
Teance Blackburn as Joyce.
PRODUCERS
Producers Sandra Martin and husband Isaac Alongi are described on their Mapelle Films web site this way:
“Sandra has written books, short films, and worked with her husband, Isaac, on commercials, documentaries and non-profit videos. In 2013, she decided to try writing her first feature-length screenplay, Trust Fund, which she went on to produce and direct. Trust Fund garnered a theatrical release through AMC Independent. It was then she discovered her love for storytelling. Five films later, Sandra and Isaac still look forward to telling inspiring stories. Sandra offers her audience smart, positive stories with unmistakable feel-good energy.”
“Isaac Alongi is an internationally known Emmy award-winning cinematographer. Isaac’s career began 20 years ago in photography, where he quickly found a passion for visual storytelling. His work gained momentum for his unique approach, fusing beautifully composed images with raw honesty. Isaac’s work can be seen in feature films, television shows, documentaries, IMAX films and commercials. From capturing gritty documentary realism to tender, poetic storytelling, his ability to capture the unexpected shows in his work for National Geographic, BBC, History Channel, Fox Sports, Discovery, ABC and the CW Network to name a few. Isaac holds three Emmy awards for his work on recent documentaries.”