MERCHANTS OF JOY
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Celia Aniskovich‘s DOCNYC film, MERCHANTS OF JOY, brings audiences behind the scenes of an annual venture most of us take for granted. For the five families that dominate the Christmas Tree market in NYC, the Holiday Season is a business of mayhem and memories. Dive into the underworld of a tradition where vendors battle it out for prime positions and quality product in hopes of making each year better than the last.
The film is a collection of personalities all jockeying to outdo each other. Greg looks like Santa and is happy to dress as such for the local kids. His son, Little Greg, is poised to take over the family business as his father battles cancer. Brooklynite George (who used to work for Greg) hopes to find love this season and brings bravado to the group. Heather is nine years sober. You will find her supporting those struggling on a similar path. Ciree takes the reins from her parents after 30 years. All of them find themselves under the thumb of the mysterious Kevin Hammer. Think of him as the Christmas Tree Mafia Boss.
The film is a countdown to Christmas, tracking the complicated and expensive logistics of purchasing trees, trucking them sometimes across the country, bidding on street corner permits, setting up shop, all while navigating weather, workforce, and the economy. It’s a risky business that can be rewarding in the end. The job is physically taxing and emotionally exhausting, but its impact on building family traditions is worth its weight in gold.
Aniskovich intersperses sit-down interviews with action on the ground. The pièce de résistance are the scenes mimicking the stop-motion animation in Christmas classics like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (1970), and The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974). In fact, Kevin Hammer only appears as an incognito character with phone interview audio. It is a perfect touch, wrapping MERCHANTS OF JOY with a nostalgia bow.
It is a film that will touch your heart. It is a delightful, warm hug, a movie about human connection, and a perfect segway for the holiday spirit.
MERCHANTS OF JOY – Coming to Prime Video Dec 1st!
WORLD PREMIERE- MERCHANTS OF JOY
Directed by Celia Aniskovich (Burn It Down!, Call Me Miss Cleo), the film captures the cast of characters behind the city’s Christmas tree stands– small business owners who bring holiday cheer to the streets each season, along with a healthy dose of friendly (and sometimes not-so-friendly) competition with each other.
A lifelong Christmas lover, Aniskovich first discovered the story after reading Epic Magazine and NY Mag’s article “Secrets of the Christmas Tree Trade” and immediately knew this was a story she wanted to tell. Drawn to the community, pride, and hidden labor, she started filming within days of meeting “Big Greg,” – one of the film’s central figures – and eventually Amazon MGM Studios and Artists Equity came aboard the project as well. What began as a portrait of holiday hustle evolved into a story about faith, family, and resilience as she continued following the families. Merchants of Joy
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Alanna Ubach plays Emily’s mother, Sam. A former addict seeking redemption, Ubach is a pro, settling into a weighty role. For me, Ubach created some of the most memorable sidekick roles of the ’90s and early 2000s, carrying a Lili Taylor vibe with her comedic timing. It is a dramatic departure that is phenomenal.
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Genre: Thriller/Horror
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COYOTES
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Jamie Costa and Emalia (
Best Picture: CAMP, directed by Avalon Fast
FANTASTIC PITCHES 
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NIGHT OF THE REAPER
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For more TIFF coverage, 
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