'First Christmas' Aims to Dazzle Investors with Live Table Read

In an innovative move to overcome challenges in independent film financing, the team behind "First Christmas" recently held a live table read in London. The event on October 1st at St Paul's Church showcased the film's material to over 100 guests, featuring stars like Mark Addy, Yasmin Al-Khudhairi, Eleanor Tomlinson, and Alex Horne.

This approach bypasses the traditional route of waiting for full financing before assembling cast members. Director Keith Kopp and producer Luke Allen utilized the live audience to demonstrate the project's strength and commercial viability as they work towards securing the final tranche of financing and an international sales partner. Production is slated to commence in the coming months.

The film, a darkly comic family drama penned by Laurence Guy, centers on a widowed father attempting to reunite his estranged adult children for Christmas. It explores unresolved grievances and familial tensions, drawing on themes of grief and the humor found in loss. U.S. producer Alyssa Roehrenbeck, whose film "Wishful Thinking" won a Grand Jury Prize at SXSW, is also a partner on the project.