BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The red carpet rolled out Thursday not just for a film premiere, but for a homecoming for both well-known and local talent.
At PBS39’s studio inside the Univest Public Media Center — where much of "Love After Holidays" was filmed — cast, crew, students and community members gathered for an intimate debut of the BET+ original movie.
Univest Public Media Center is home to LehighValleyNews.com, PBS39 and WLRV radio.
Thursday's Holiday Mixer and carpet premiere marked what "Love After Holidays" co-writer and star Jacinth Headlam called a "full-circle moment," celebrating both a personal project and supporting the next generation of creatives.
The film made its debut on BET's streaming channel on Dec. 4.
'Bigger than the film'
Before "Love After Holidays" premiered, the audience watched "Invisible," a short film created by students from the Excelsior after-school program.
The project grew out of InnaStar’s summer filmmaking class and a partnership with the Fine Feather Foundation and Allentown School District.
Headlam founded the nonprofit Innastar — along with its yearly InnaStar Trailblazer Awards — in 2022 to uplift and empower youth, particularly those from underrepresented communities.
"For me, it was bigger than just showing 'Love After.' To provide the platform to showcase our future filmmakers was priceless."Jacinth Headlam
"Invisible," public service announcements for which also were filmed inside the PBS39 studio, addresses mental health and explores struggles many young people carry — topics such as peer pressure, body dysmorphia and anger.
"For me, it was bigger than just showing 'Love After," Headlam said. "To provide the platform to showcase our future filmmakers was priceless."
The students, who also were at Thursday's premeire, were involved in every stage of production, from developing characters and writing the script to working as a cast and crew on set, she said.
After the presentation, the young actors participated in a brief question-and-answer period, sharing with the audience that the project helped them better understand the importance of kindness and empathy.
The short film was directed by Headlam and shot by cinematographer Chris Ormeno, with behind-the-scenes photography by Brandon Guaman.
Scenes filmed locally
The students’ festive energy provided a natural transition into the premiere of "Love After Holidays."
The film, directed by Antoine Allen, stars Headlam as talk show host Janeen Lawrence; Malik Yoba ("Why Did I Get Married," "New York Undercover") as her concerned therapist; Jeremy Meeks as her ex-husband, Stephan; and Miami rapper Trina as herself.
Although the talk show in "Love After Holidays" is set in Philadelphia, much of the film was shot throughout the Lehigh Valley.
The opening 10 minutes — filmed around Bethlehem's SteelStacks campus — depict Headlam’s character in a car accident with her young daughter, played by Amia Brock.
Meeks appears as her concerned ex-husband as police arrest his her for driving while intoxicated.
Another opening scene shows her running into the Univest Public Media Center, where the fictitious talk show is filmed.
Over the course of the 75-minute film, Headlam's character is forced to confront her battle with alcoholism as her ex-spouse threatens to take custody of their daughter.
After hitting rock bottom and losing her talk-show gig, she enters a women’s rehabilitation center, where she finally admits her life has become unmanageable and begins a path to recovery.
'That's not the reality'
While "Love After Holidays" confronts serious themes such as addiction and single parenting, it also weaves in comedic moments that resonated with Thursday’s crowd.
They included an awkward kiss between Meeks and Headlam that caused quite a stir.
The film also includes nods to Headlam’s heritage, with her character lovingly teaching her daughter Jamaican Patois and sharing scenes with her onscreen mother over cups of “bush tea.”
“I didn’t want to do a 'Jingle Bell' holiday."Jacinth Headlam
It's a traditional herbal drink the ingredients of which vary by region across the island and is widely believed to have healing properties.
The healing tea perhaps serves as a metaphor for Headlam's broader intentions in co-writing and starring as the lead.
“I didn’t want to do a 'Jingle Bell' holiday,” she said of co-writing the project.
She addressed her own periods of depression, losing everything, moving back home with her mother and navigating holidays without her children.
It's not always "about the good and the glam of the holidays, that’s not the reality for a lot of people,” she said.
She said the decision to pair a student mental health film with a professional BET+ production also highlights the mission behind founding InnaStar: Using storytelling as a tool for empowerment.
The $25 donation ticket for Thursday's premiere also supported InnaStar’s upcoming toy giveaway and holiday celebration, noon to 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 22, at the Children of Joy Academy, 934 Hanover Avenue, Allentown.
For more information about InnaStar and the movie, visit the nonprofit's website.
