Film Director Drew Waters on the ‘Festival of Trees’ Faith Message

When film director Drew Waters’s wife, Erin Bethea, wrote a screenplay about good family values, he couldn’t help but step in and direct.
“We’re both Christians and faith-driven in what we put out,” Waters told The Epoch Times on Nov. 14. “I love good-feeling, buddy-driven comedies, and that’s what genre ‘Festival of Trees’ is.”
In “Festival of Trees,” Jacqueline Miller, played by Kate Miner, is an interior designer competing in a Christmas tree decorating competition that has the potential to launch her career as an artist, and in the process, she meets a handsome stranger.
Miner is known for starring in film and TV productions such as the 2016 comedy spoof “Fifty Shades of Black” with Marlon Wayans and the TV series “Shameless.”
“She’s lovely … a real professional,” Waters said. “Her husband and son were on set a few days, and the whole family is very talented and beautiful.”
Miner married musician Justin Miner in 2012 after they met at the University of Southern California.
The movie was filmed in 17 days in Cobb County, Georgia, where Waters lives with his family.
Scenes depicting the tree-decorating competition had to be filmed in 48 hours because 47 decorated Christmas trees were borrowed from the annual Festival of Trees event, which takes place at the Civic Center on Piedmont Avenue in downtown Atlanta, Georgia.
“Once the event was over, we loaded the 47 trees into moving trucks and brought them to our film location,” Waters said. “From there, after we finished filming, we had to wrap the trees, and we used 13 different moving trucks in different locations to drop them off to the actual winning bidders.”
“Festival of Trees” is one of a slew of faith-based films and TV shows produced by various directors and production companies in recent years.
Others include “His Only Son,” “Journey to Bethlehem,” “The Chosen,” “Birthright: Outlaw,” “Legacy Peak,” and “Testament: The Story of Moses.”
“I came to Christ by asking questions and not by somebody driving me to go,” Waters said of his faith. “It happened over a period of time, and it became more and more interesting to me of why this, that, and everything else. It just kind of took me in and took me over where I felt this ease about my life.”
But the 51-year-old, who is the father of two daughters, isn’t trying to convert anyone.
“I’m not a pastor,” he said. “That’s not my job. My job is to just create good quality content where you see Christian values within the characters.”
The top 25 domestic-earning films with a strong or very strong Christian or redemptive worldview averaged $244.95 million when combined, compared to R-rated movies that earned $207.13 million, according to Movieguide’s ratings, and films in the top 25 that featured strong or very strong humanist, occult, pagan, false religious, or romantic worldviews averaged only $89.62 million in 2023.
“Major studios and streaming platforms are actively expanding their faith-based content offerings,” Movieguide CEO Robby Baehr told The Epoch Times. “This trend has led to increased consumer engagement and participation in faith-based entertainment.
“Notably, research indicates that faith-based consumers tend to visit movie theaters more frequently compared to the general population.”
Bethea co-wrote the “Festival of Trees” screenplay with Deborah Moore, Bryan Walsh, and Garry Walsh. The film is currently streaming on UPtv, a family-friendly cable and satellite TV network, and on the UP Faith & Family platform.
“It’s not your typical romantic comedy holiday movie,” Waters said of “Festival of Trees.” “It’s a family one with kids that remind the adults of what Christmas is really about.”
Prior to becoming a director, Waters was an actor on many TV shows, including the NBC Emmy Award-winning TV series “Friday Night Lights,” in which he portrayed coach Wade Aikman. He also played Paul Tyree in “Breaking Bad“ and Brian Bush in ”NCIS: Los Angeles.”
While on location, he watched various directors do their jobs, and eventually, a “Prison Break” producer became his mentor.
“On movie sets and television shows, there’s a lot of downtime, so instead of sitting around in my trailer, I’d be next to the cameras watching how things operate and work,” Waters said. “Directing is one of those passions I found later in life.”
The first film he directed was “New Life” in 2016, an homage to his grandfather, who outlived two significant others. The love story was also distributed by UPtv.
“He passed away of a broken heart, and I just wanted to give him something because he was my best friend,” Waters added. “I miss him.”
Faith-based television movies such as “Festival of Trees” experience significant popularity during the holidays, according to Baehr.
“These productions generally cost less to produce due to modest budgets and simpler production requirements leading to higher profit margins,” Baehr said. “They can generate strong advertising revenue as advertisers value the engaged, family-oriented audiences that such content attracts.”