A new holiday romantic comedy got its first public screening right here in Austin this week, with Christmas Pop-Up making its world premiere at the Austin Film Festival. The film stars Zach Gilford as a jaded celebrity chef and follows Francesca, a struggling set designer whose life gets complicated when she takes a job building an elaborate Christmas Eve fine-dining pop-up for him. One more local screening is already on the calendar before the movie heads to streaming.
According to KEYE, the movie is written by and co-stars Gina Pietromonaco, though the Austin Film Festival's own listing spells the same cast member's name Geena Pietromonaco. The festival schedule lists the cast as Geena Pietromonaco, Zach Gilford, Mano Agapion, and Ayanna Berkshire, alongside the spelling discrepancy. Either way, the pairing anchors a story about awkward domestic arrangements colliding with a high-pressure holiday job.
A Messy Living Situation Sets Up the Plot
Per KEYE's reporting, Francesca is navigating a particularly awkward living arrangement with her recent ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend. The tension escalates when she learns the couple is planning to get engaged on New Year's Eve, pushing her to throw herself into the demanding gig of designing a one-night-only Christmas Eve pop-up for Gilford's character, a celebrity chef who's grown tired of the spotlight. The film is directed by Molly Muse and runs 93 minutes, according to BroadwayWorld.
Both lead actors sat down for a conversation hosted by Trevor Scott around the premiere, the station's report notes. Gilford said the script felt genuine and funny on the page, and he added that the film's friendships and humor are part of what make the story work. He also said that playing a chef tapped into something personal, noting that being a chef is his own fantasy and that he watches Top Chef religiously, per the same account.
Writer and Co-Star Reflects on Comedy Roots
Pietromonaco, credited as the film's writer and co-star, said she loves comedy and Christmas movies and wanted the project to show off her abilities as a comedian, the station reports. She also described the premiere crowd as generous and called the festival kind, reflecting on the reception the film received at its first public screening.
Christmas Pop-Up premiered at the Austin Film Festival on Monday, per KEYE's account, which placed the screening the evening before the station's report published. A second Austin Film Festival screening is set for Thursday at 4:45 p.m. at Galaxy Theatres, according to the station. The festival's own listing pins the same screening to 6700 Middle Fiskville Road in Austin, running from 4:45 p.m. to 6:42 p.m. CST that day.
Streaming Dates Line Up for the Holidays
After its Austin run, the film is scheduled to land on Prime Video on November 27, according to KEYE. It's then set to arrive on Apple TV, Fandango, and YouTube on December 4. BroadwayWorld's reporting frames the rollout the same way, describing the film moving from festival screenings into wide digital availability across those platforms in late November and early December.
Ahead of its streaming debut, one reviewer at Bain's Film Reviews pegged the film as squarely in Hallmark territory, writing that anyone looking for a Hallmark-esque holiday rom-com will find Christmas Pop-Up fits the bill. For Austin audiences who caught the world premiere, or who plan to catch Thursday's follow-up screening, the film offers a local-first look at a holiday release built around mismatched roommates, a reluctant chef, and a countdown to Christmas Eve.
