“Cupid for Christmas,” a feature film co-produced by Shenandoah University and Los Angeles-based Capital Arts Entertainment, begins streaming on Hulu on Saturday, Nov. 20.
The holiday romantic comedy stars Melanie Stone (the “Mythica” series), Ryan Carnes (“Desperate Housewives,” “General Hospital”), Natasha Behnam (“American Pie Presents: Girls’ Rules”), Siri Miller (“NCIS,” “Suburgatory”), with Cocoa Brown (“Ted 2,” “Lakeview Terrace”), and Richard Kind (“Argo,” “Inside Out”).
Twenty-four Shenandoah students and three faculty members were cast members, while 40 SU students and six faculty members also served as crew members alongside other film professionals. “Cupid for Christmas” is Shenandoah’s second co-production with Capital Arts Entertainment. The first was another holiday feature, “Santa Girl.” On its own, The Film Studio at Shenandoah has also produced the horror film, “GetAWAY.”
“Cupid for Christmas” centers on Ruby (Stone), protege to Cupid, the god of love (Kind), as she struggles to prove she’s deserving of the bow and arrow after Cupid’s retirement. After one too many mishaps, she’s challenged to find love for the most romantically hopeless person on Earth, Charlie (Carnes) before midnight on Christmas Eve. If she succeeds, she will take over as Cupid permanently, if she fails, she loses her wings forever.
Blayne Weaver, who serves as Shenandoah’s director in residence, directed the film, and veteran producer/music supervisor Paul DiFranco, who is a distinguished adjunct assistant professor at Shenandoah Conservatory and director of The Film Studio at Shenandoah, served as a producer.
“I’m so excited that our third film made with The Film Studio at Shenandoah is being released on Hulu. It’s a huge platform and a great home for our charming and funny Christmas romance.”
– Shenandoah Director-In-Residence and ‘Cupid for Christmas’ Director Blayne Weaver
Filming for the production occurred in the summer of 2020 on main campus and throughout the Winchester area. Because of its strict COVID-19 protocols, “A Cupid For Christmas” was one of the first full-length feature films to receive approval from the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) to be filmed in Virginia during the pandemic.
“The success of the film is predominantly due to the hard work and excellent performances of the student cast and crew. I’m very proud to say that, immersed in a professional film production, SU students were totally up to the challenge, evidenced by the acquisition of the film by Hulu.”
– Distinguished adjunct assistant professor at Shenandoah Conservatory, director of The Film Studio at Shenandoah and ‘Cupid for Christmas’ co-producer Paul DiFranco
Bungalow Media has acquired worldwide rights to the film, which will stream exclusively on Hulu. Bungalow CEO Phil Goldfine is ecstatic about the acquisition. “Bungalow Media is excited to bring this heartwarming film to audiences just in time for Christmas. The need for positive and aspirational content is even more important now than ever. ‘Cupid For Christmas’ delivers on that need.”
Featured image by Kimberly Needles Photography
