I want to celebrate Italian American culture and the place where I come from, South Philadelphia. I want to share with the world a story that highlights family, tradition, understanding, and portrays Italian Americans in a positive light. 

Christmas Eve will follow two families from the late 70s through the early 2000s as they change, grow, and deal with tragedy and triumph. This is a film about my family and a lot of families that grew up in the city. The hand-off from generation to generation. It wasn’t perfect but we made the best of it.  We hustled to make ends meet and celebrated with food and family.

If you’re from South Philly then you know we have a certain way of doing things. I want to capture making gravy or the time spent baking pizzelles, butter cookies, and honey balls. Who fries the best meatballs and which fishes are included in the seven (I still don’t know)?

When taking on a project as a director I ask myself “Why should I tell this story and why am I the person to tell it?” and I haven’t been more confident in a production. I’ve never seen South Philly portrayed on film the way I lived it and I’ve never seen a movie that looks like my family or the people I grew up with. I believe I can capture that vision.  

I want to tell a story that represents the best of us in a time when we need to be reminded of that. Because no matter what we always have family.