EYA Productions and Fred Miller Productions are excited to announce the world premiere of their new holiday movie, When Angels Sing, at the 26th annual South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas. The film, directed by Tim McCanlies (Secondhand Lions, Alabama Moon), is a comedic, heartfelt story about the importance of family ties, the power of forgiveness and the undeniable magic of Christmas.
When Angels Sing stars Harry Connick, Jr. (Dolphin Tale) as Michael Walker, a modern day Scrooge who has only wanted one thing for Christmas - to forget about it. After unknowingly buying a house on a street famous for its Christmas celebrations, Michael must learn how to confront his past and save his son from repeating the same mistakes he did.
The star-studded cast includes Emmy Award nominee Connie Britton (Nashville, Friday Night Lights), Chandler Canterbury (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Host), Fionnula Flanagan (The Guard), Lyle Lovett (Castle) with Academy Award nominees & Grammy winners Willie Nelson (The Dukes of Hazzard) and Kris Kristofferson (Dolphin Tale).
"This movie is about family ties, fathers and sons and obligations - the things you need to do to be a good father. These are important things," said When Angels Sing cast member Willie Nelson.
Set in Austin, Texas, When Angels Sing celebrates the rich and varied musical genres for which the city is famous. The film features performances of new and classic holiday songs by Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Lyle Lovett, Dale Watson, Sara Hickman, Marcia Ball, Carolyn Wonderland, Guy Forsyth, Kat Edmonson, The Trishas, Joel Guzman, Sarah Fox, and Miss Lavelle White, with appearances by Ray Benson of "Asleep at The Wheel" and Bob Schneider.
When Angels Sing was produced by Elizabeth Avellán (The Spy Kids franchise, Sin City), Fred Miller (For All Mankind), and Shannon McIntosh (Inglorious Bastards, Django Unchained). The production team also includes executive producers Scott Rankin, Sharon Rankin and Randall Dark, with Dominic Cancilla and Turk Pipkin serving as co-producers. The screenplay by Lou Berney is based on the book of the same name by Turk Pipkin (The Tao of Willie).
"I'm really excited for our film to have its world premiere at SXSW," said EYA Productions President Elizabeth Avellán. "Austin is my home and this film was done with the many talented filmmakers from Austin. It feels wonderful to share this lovely film with the local community and the world."
Turk Pipkin originally wrote the book When Angels Sing as a Christmas gift to give to his friends and family. Immediately, producer Fred Miller knew that it was a movie waiting to be made, but missed out on buying the book's motion picture rights the first time around. After four years of waiting and periodically asking about its status, Miller was finally able to buy the rights and begin the two year process of assembling the best possible team for the film. After spending two years working on putting the project together, Miller and the rest of the team are excited for SXSW to World Premiere When Angels Sing.
About When Angels Sing
Grammy & Emmy Award winning, Tony Award nominee Harry Connick, Jr. (Dolphin Tale), stars in When Angels Sing, with Emmy Award nominee Connie Britton (Nashville, Friday Night Lights), Chandler Canterbury (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Host), Fionnula Flanagan (The Guard), Lyle Lovett (Castle) with Academy Award nominees & Grammy winners Willie Nelson (The Dukes of Hazzard) and Kris Kristofferson (Dolphin Tale). When Angels Sing is directed by Tim McCanlies (Secondhand Lions, Alabama Moon).
For thirty years, Michael Walker (Harry Connick, Jr.) has only wanted one thing for Christmas and that's to forget about it. That is until a mysterious stranger named Nick (Willie Nelson), sells him the home of his family's dreams with the vague condition that he keeps up with the neighborhood standards. Michael quickly realizes his new street is his worst nightmare. . . Live Oak Lane is world famous for Christmas, complete with eye popping light displays, mounds of fake snow, thousands of visitors and his home as its glorious centerpiece. Suddenly, Christmas is inescapable - attacking him with massive inflatable Santas, nonstop carolers dropping off decorations and live nativity scenes running rampant through his yard. His contempt for Christmas explodes when pressure mounts from his family (Connie Britton, Chandler Canterbury, Fionnula Flanagan, Kris Kristofferson) and quirky neighbors (Lyle Lovett, Eloise DeJoria) to get into the spirit of the holiday. When Nick returns to question why Michael isn't fulfilling his part of their bargain, he takes him on a journey to confront his past and save his son from repeating the same mistakes he did.
When Angels Sing is a comedic, heartfelt fable about the importance of family ties, the power of forgiveness and the undeniable magic of Christmas. Rounding out the cast are Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Eloise DeJoria, Bruce Robison, Sara Hickman and Turk Pipkin.
