Henrick Vartanian
On December 4th, IFC Films released DEAR SANTA, the new, charming, inspiring film from veteran documentarian and producer Dana Nachman (BAT KID BEGINS) whose acclaimed films during the past decade have ranged from crowd-pleasing audience favorites to hard-hitting investigative films. With unprecedented access to the United States Postal Service’s 100-year-old program ‘Operation Santa,’ Nachman developed the heartwarming new holiday documentary DEAR SANTA that’s right for these times. A former journalist, Nachman has become an indie filmmaker who seems to use her talents to tell inspiring stories in the face of the pandemic and economic downturn that have impacted so many families.
Watch the official trailer for DEAR SANTA (documentary film) at the bottom of this article.
DEAR SANTA (film) shines a light on the 100-year-old ‘Operation Santa’ Program of the United States Postal Service.
Each year, hundreds of thousands of letters to Santa arrive at Post Offices around the country. Through Operation Santa, the United States Postal Service makes it possible for the public to safely adopt these letters and make children’s dreams come true. The film invites audiences along for the magic of this massive endeavor. Traveling the country, much like Santa does on Christmas Eve, the film focuses on select ‘Operation Santa’ Centers: some in metropolitan areas like the massive operation in New York City and others in small towns where the Post Office is the heart of the community.
The film highlights letters where a child is asking for something poignant, something that goes beyond the common wish for a toy. Santa will explain how he enlists kind-hearted strangers across the country for these special requests while he concentrates on toy making and his demanding delivery schedule. This new documentary film captures the warmth and spirit of Christmastime through the lens of a great American tradition, provoking audiences throughout the world to ask themselves how they can make the world a better place, one gesture at a time.
The United States Postal Service program called Operation Santa. The letters that kids and even adults send to Santa are answered through a nationwide network in which donors can adopt letters and fulfill their wishes.
And for 2020, OPERATION SANTA, as seen in IFC Films’ DEAR SANTA, has gone viral.
Thanks to social media, more than 10,000 letters have been adopted as of Monday morning, Dec 07, 2020 – which is nearly as many as the entire total for last year! This year especially, there are more kids and families asking for basic necessities because of the devastating blows this year has dealt.
At Brave New Hollywood, we join IFC Films and Director Nachman to encourage you this holiday season to spread the word about OPERATION SANTA and adopt a letter.
Letters can be found and adopted on the USPS website.
Watch the entertaining, inspiring, DEAR SANTA and gain insights into the program and the experiences of both the letter adopters and the recipients of the gifts from Santa.
Distributed by IFC Films, DEAR SANTA is now in select theaters, nationwide, and streaming on VOD, including AMAZON, APPLE TV, YOUTUBE, GOOGLE PLAY, VUDU, XBOX, XFINITY, SPECTRUM & DIRECTV.
