If you are looking for a new Christmas movie which can be enjoyed by the entire family, you need to watch Saint Nick of Bethlehem.
Written and directed by former Clearfield County resident Spencer Folmar, it is now available for purchase on Amazon Prime and to members on Angel Studios (angel.com) where it was recently listed as their #1 film.
It was inspired by the life of Allen Smith who is a popular local Santa Claus.
In a previous interview, Folmer described Smith as inspiring because he helps people who are down and out or have special needs, bringing a new twist to the role.
Smith has played Santa for kids as well as residents of nursing homes. He continued this tradition even after he lost his son.
“I thought it (playing Santa) would be over for him. But just a month later, he was out in the community giving joy to others. His story became even more inspiring,” Folmar said.
In Saint Nick of Bethlehem, Nick is struggling after losing his son, and finds a new purpose by playing Santa at a local hospital.
At times the story is sad as Nick appears to be overcome with grief and continues to talk to his son, in his room which is exactly as the teen left it.
Nick’s mother, Betty, encourages him to get on with his life, but Nick is also still hurting because his wife left him a few years earlier.
At the beginning of the film, Nick, Daniel Roebuck who shines in this role, is looking for a job and ends up working with his brother at a used car dealership. He is also reunited with his high school sweetheart, Mary, so for those of you who love those Hallmark Christmas movies, there is a bit of romance too.
When he stops into a local hospital to see Mary who is working there, Nick is distracted by a sick child who thinks he is Santa Claus. He visits with her and then ends up reading a story to all the kids in the hospital.
This marks a turnaround for him, as he starts leaning into the role, brings cheer to the car lot and a co-worker who suffers a loss of her own.
Saint Nick of Bethlehem was partially filmed in our area at such sites as the giant Santa Claus and the We Are Inn in Philipsburg, Downtown Philipsburg, Noah’s Nights of Lights in Morrisdale, and Lakemont Park in Altoona.
Additional filming was done during the 2023 holiday season in Bethlehem, the hometown of Roebuck.
Folmar explains that he had the idea for the screenplay for a while, but it was after Folmar met Roebuck, that the project “really came together” as Roebuck brought in producers to assist them.
Roebuck helped with the script and is listed as the co-writer and co-director with Folmar.
Folmar also gives credit on his Facebook page to his wife, McKenna, “who never stopped encouraging me to finish this Christmas story.”
Last year, the film had a red carpet premiere at the Rowland Theatre in Philipsburg, was also shown at the Ritz Theater in Clearfield and many other theaters across the country.
It stars Cathy Moriarity, Marsha Dietlin Bennett, Duane Whitaker, Elias Kemuel, Timothy E. Goodwin, Stelio Savante, Jennifer Porrata, and Bradford Haynes.
Folmar attended West Branch Schools before going to Grove City College and then the New York Film Academy. Although he lives in Los Angeles, he has returned to the area several times to film his movies (Shooting Heroin, Generational Sins, Guilt & Sentence and Fortified).
