(EXCERPT from Variety.com)
After debuting eight new original holiday movies in 2021, BET+ is getting even more into the seasonal spirit this year with 10 more titles rolling out beginning Nov. 3, Variety has learned exclusively.
The 2022 slate features films starring Ne-Yo, Sereyah, Romeo Miller, LeToya Luckett and LaLa Milan, as well as returning BET+ holiday movie staples like Jasmine Guy, Terrence Carson and Dorien Wilson. The titles come from directors and writers including Victoria Rowell (who also appears in “A Christmas Gift”), Robin Givens, Bree West and Patricia Cuffie Jones.
“We’re committed to bringing quality Black stories to the screen and the holidays are no exception,” BET+ executive vice president and general manager Devin Griffin said. “Year after year, our members devour holiday programming; in fact, our original holiday films continue to out-perform, which is why we’re committed to growing our investment in this area of the service. But it’s not just about meeting demand, it’s also about authenticity. Our cast and crews are a powerhouse of Black excellence from creatives behind the camera like Victoria Rowell, Robin Givens and Patricia Cuffie Jones to the incredible performances of talent like Ne-Yo, Serayah, Romeo Miller, Dorien Wilson and Jasmine Guy, to name a few. With a weekly rollout of content come November, we’re excited to help our members celebrate and enjoy the holidays all season long.”
“BET+ provides filmmakers like myself the latitude to tell diverse stories with raw accuracy,” “A Blackjack Christmas” director and co-writer and “A Christmas Gift” star Rowell said. “One of my foster mothers, Barbara Sterling, came to America from Kingston, Jamaica with a dream and three suitcases. Witnessing Barbara’s journey, self-determination and grit inspired me to write family holiday drama, ‘Blackjack Christmas.’ You won’t see that anywhere else.”
Rowell added: “I am immeasurably thankful to BET+ for making a way for undiluted black stories to be heard and seen in our various voices and dialects. Female filmmakers have a unique sensibility and approach to producing, directing, writing and more. BET+ consumers know they can count on content that mirrors who they/we are whether it be aspirational, inspirational, dramatic, faith-based or comedy. Ultimately, ‘A Blackjack Christmas,’ provides a family tale of compassion and balm for the soul this holiday season.”
See BET+’s full lineup of 2022 holiday original movies and their premiere dates below.
BET+
A WESLEY CHRISTMAS – NOVEMBER 3
Adult siblings Chris, Todd, and Cydney Wesley travel to their childhood home to celebrate Christmas with their parents and the entire Wesley family. With everyone together and all their physical and emotional baggage in tow, the annual Wesley family holiday promises to be a festive, hot-mess of a Christmas with life-changing impacts on the whole family.
Cast: Dorien Wilson, Jasmine Guy, Terrence Carson, Loren Lott, Terayle Hill, Mike Merrill
Director: Patricia Cuffie Jones
Writer: Bree West
Produced by: Octet Productions
BET+
Aric Thompson
THE FIRST NOELLE – NOVEMBER 10
After twenty years of friendship, Terrance and Noelle finally decide to date each other but ultimately break up when Terrance moves to London for work. Now that Terrance is back in Atlanta for Christmas with his new girl, also named Noelle, our lead is determined to get him back and say goodbye to being friend-zoned forever.
Cast: Novi Brown, LaLa Milan, Todd Anthony
Director: Patricia Cuffie Jones
Writers: Ariel Driskell and Patricia Cuffie Jones
Executive Producers: Larry Grimaldi, Hannah Pillemer and Fernando Szew for MarVista Entertainment
Co-Executive Producer: Adam Shepard for MarVista Entertainment
Producers: Autumn Bailey-Ford from Autumn Bailey Entertainment and Karl Horstmann at Triple Horse Studios.