Narrative Demo / Hallmark-Style Production

The Letter

Two estranged sisters return to their late mother's home at Christmas and find one final letter waiting for them.

ProjectThe Letter

KFS roleProduction company and narrative demo

LocationKelowna, British Columbia

Period2026

Project note

The film turns a holiday living room into a confrontation between sisters, using warm practical light, restrained blocking and production design to make the family home feel emotionally lived in.

Production relationship Kelowna Film Studios / Hallmark-style narrative demo

Finished-film frame of the two sisters seated together in the Christmas living room in The Letter

KFS narrative demo

The Letter

Two estranged sisters return home at Christmas and find one final letter from their late mother.

Recognition

Festival and industry recognition.

Official Selection - Okanagan Screen Awards, 2026

Selection Official Selection — Okanagan Screen Awards, 2026

Watch and read

Films, press and people connected to the project.

Watch the finished demo The Letter // Short Film // Kelowna Film Studios IMDb The Letter Director The Letter on James Alton Films Festival Okanagan Screen Awards Saturday films

The ask

What the project needed.

Produce a warm, actor-led Christmas drama with a professional local cast and crew in the Okanagan.

What mattered

What had to work.

Performance, holiday warmth, controlled light, production design, sound and post all had to work inside a practical home location.

What we did

How KFS handled it.

KFS built The Letter as a compact narrative scene, bringing together casting, location, camera, lighting, art department, crew support, gear and post-production around the two sisters' confrontation in the family home.

The result

What came out of it.

The completed short brought local cast and crew together across performance, camera, lighting, art direction, sound and post-production. It was selected for the 2026 Okanagan Screen Awards.

KFS services

Narrative production
Production company
Crew and equipment
Lighting and camera
Art department
Post-production
Hallmark-style narrative scene

Key collaborators

Key production roles.

Director / Editor / Post-sound James Alton Director of Photography Harrison Mendel Writer / Starring Marie Ashwood Starring Shatille McInnes Associate Producer / 1st AD Nina Bournival Art Director Marina Ragimova 1st AC / Gaffer Artur Gajda Gear support Think Farm Productions Key Grip Matthew Che'z Location Sound Nathan Peacock Key Hair Stylist Errin Meridian Colorist Levi Price VFX Milton Muller / Gneiss Stuff

Behind the Scenes

From the production.

Finished frames and behind-the-scenes photographs from the shoot.

Finished-film frame of the two sisters facing each other beside the Christmas tree in The Letter — The sisters face each other beside the Christmas tree as the letter brings old tensions back into the room.

Wide behind-the-scenes view of crew and lighting for The Letter — A wide behind-the-scenes view of the local crew, camera, lighting and art direction inside the Christmas home.

Lighting and camera setup inside the holiday interior for The Letter — The practical home interior was shaped through lighting, blocking and crew movement rather than treated as a simple location.

Camera team and actors preparing a scene for The Letter — The camera team and actors prepare the sisters' living-room scene.

Camera, light stands and negative fill inside The Letter set — Camera, lighting and negative fill were part of making the warm holiday interior feel finished on screen.

Monitor and notes during The Letter production — Monitoring and notes connected the performance work to the technical plan during the compact production.

Plan the next production

Send the brief, schedule or gear list.