“People need happiness,” 'Blackjack Christmas' director Victoria Rowell said. “Right now they need hope. There’s a lot of hope in this movie.” - NBCBLK
Kyrie McAlpin as Marsha Matthews, Charmin Lee as Corrine Allen, Kiki Shepard as Yollette and Leigh-Ann Rose as Gloria Matthews in "Blackjack Christmas."The holiday season is defined by light but can also sometimes evoke feelings of darkness, from grief to loneliness to depression. In Victoria Rowell’s new Christmas movie, “Blackjack Christmas,” the writer, producer, actress and director said she was drawn to create a holiday film to hit both the gloomy and the bright.
Rowell, who grew up in foster care, said the inspiration for the film stemmed from her guardian, Barbara Sterling, about whom she wrote in her 2007, “The Woman Who Raised Me.” Sterling, originally from Kingston, Jamaica, traveled to the U.S. and later became “a pillar” in her life “and remains so.” Rowell said she always “made Christmas so magical.”
Illustrated by Delores’s character with her own addiction with gambling, Rowell said addicts can’t be forced into recovery but a loved one can provide support and a listening ear, like Delores’ family in the movie.“It’s hard for people to talk about these personal matters, because we feel that it should be kept quiet and kept private,” Rowell said. “But we’re as sick as our secrets. And so, it’s very important that we allow a safe space to talk about mental illness.
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