Essence Atkins to make directorial debut with ‘Christmas Dilemma’
The film premieres on TV One on Dec. 6
Essence Atkins is ready to make her directorial debut with Christmas Dilemma, a new holiday film set to hit TV One next month.
“I am blessed to have the opportunity to collaborate with TV One once again to direct my first movie,” Atkins said in a statement. “I am immeasurably grateful for the opportunity to helm a film that I can declare I’m proud of. This entire experience has taught me so much and was a true delight.”
The actress who recently starred in OWN’s Ambitions took her talents behind the camera for the flick that stars BJ Britt, Brittany Hall, Carl Anthony Payne II, and Christopher B. Duncan.
Here’s the official description:
Christmas Dilemma follows a newlywed couple Jay (Britt) and Monica (Hall) as they struggle to decide which set of in-laws they should join for their first Christmas. After each pleads their case and even attempts a little trickery, they decide to bypass the guaranteed disappointment of picking one family over the other. Unbeknownst to them, the decision is made for them when their families show up at their home unexpectedly. Drama ensues as the in-laws clash, long-lost relatives decide to make an appearance, and Jay’s grandmother joins the holiday festivities accompanied her caretaker who just happens to be Jay’s gorgeous ex-girlfriend.
“This will undoubtedly be a different kind of holiday, so we thought an offbeat Christmas comedy was the perfect choice,” Robyn Green Arrington, TV One’s VP of programming and production, said in a statement. “Additionally, having consistency behind-the-scenes during this unpredictable time was a must, so working long-time production partner, Swirl was a no-brainer. Continuing our tradition of giving deserving and prepared talent an opportunity to diversify, made the decision to have Essence Atkins at the helm of this movie easy.”
Christmas Dilemma premieres Dec. 6 on TV One.
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