Marianne Haaland said she wrote the faith-based holiday film “Christmas at the Cabin” in 2024 “when my kids were in preschool,” a project that moved from a living-room table read to a feature release in less than a year.
Haaland described the movie as a personal effort that began with friends reading the script over Zoom. “One of them, Sharon Oliphant, who was reading with me, she said, ‘I would really like to produce this with you,’ ” Haaland said.
While “Christmas at the Cabin” is a new title for mainstream faith viewers, Haaland is not new to acting in faith-oriented projects. She said she has “been starring in a TV show called Vindication. It’s a faith-based crime drama,” and appeared in “The Forge,” a film from the Kendrick Brothers.
Reflecting on a decade in Los Angeles, she said it felt “kind of like a desert for me,” but added that the experience was formative. “Sometimes God plants the seed in the and you’re kind of buried underground for a bit, and then now it’s finally starting. To sprout,” Haaland said.
Oliphant purchased an option on the script in January, and by April Haaland said the project had found a home at Faith Channel, which she called “their first original feature film.”
“We were funded in April, and by the end of April we were filming in Breckenridge, Colorado,” Haaland said. The production captured late-season snowfall, with principal photography running through May 12. “We’ve managed to do all the snow, and it was just perfect timing,” she said, adding that the fast pace of the production felt providential. “So we’re like, OK, the Lord must want this movie out there.”
“Christmas at the Cabin” blends comedy and spiritual themes, Haaland said, aiming to be “very seeker friendly.” “Nobody’s banging you over the head with anything,” she said. “But we, we challenge you to look at your own faith journey and just really also your mental health journey, and kind of try to see where are you at? Are you doing okay?”
She said the film is intended to prompt reflection without proselytizing, using humor as a vehicle for deeper concerns. “I think that through the comedy in this film, we’re able to to highlight that peace is really important,” Haaland said. “And the people that you’re with, of course, but the peace that you have is really a really important part of having good, good holidays.”
Haaland hopes families will find the film uplifting. “I’m really hopeful that people will enjoy it and just have more joy,” she said. “You know, I think we all need a little bit extra joy, and so I’m really thrilled to be able to bring in a faith-based comedy, because I think that we all need to laugh. If we can’t laugh at ourselves, then then we’re struggling.”
The film’s themes, she said, are about more than seasonal warmth and togetherness. Her hope is that “Christmas at the Cabin” encourages viewers to assess both spiritual and emotional well-being.
“We challenge you to look at your own faith journey and just really also your mental health journey,” she said, noting the interplay between inner peace and meaningful holiday gatherings.
Haaland framed the movie as part of a larger cultural need for uplifting content. “There’s so much content out there that just kind of drags us down and makes us feel worse than we did coming into it,” she said. “I’m really hopeful that this film is going to make people feel lighter and more joyful.”
The film also aims to serve viewers who want entertainment rooted in Christian themes without alienating general audiences.
“It’s amazing to be able to combine filmmaking, which I love, and the love of Jesus and the birth of his son, and to be able to to make something for people in that season when they do want to be in community with each other,” Haaland said. She pictured viewers bundled under blankets, sharing hot chocolate and enjoying a movie that “is good for your spirit.”
Haaland credited timing, collaborators and faith for the project’s swift transition from script to screen. She recounted the serendipitous sequence of events: a Zoom reading, a producer’s interest, an option purchase and an early funding decision. “By April, she had found Faith Channel, and John Stewart, who’s the CEO, was very excited about the script,” she said.
For Haaland, the film’s journey has been both professional milestone and personal affirmation. “I’m excited,” she said, “and I’m in hopeful expectations of more work.”
“Christmas at the Cabin” is available to rent or purchase from The Faith Network.
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