Chip Rossetti – Director, Writer, Producer

Chip Rossetti is an Indiana-based filmmaker known for his heartfelt, family-driven stories and his commitment to independent production. As the founder of Rossetti Productions, he has directed and produced numerous faith-friendly and community-focused feature films. Rossetti’s work blends sincerity, moral clarity, and character-centered storytelling, earning him a reputation as a filmmaker who elevates simple premises into emotionally resonant narratives.

With The Borrowed Christmas, Rossetti adapted the beloved stage play The Rented Christmas into a feature film, expanding its world and deepening its characters while preserving its gentle holiday spirit. His leadership mindset and collaborative approach have made him a creative anchor within the growing Midwestern film community.

Matthew Ulm – Producer, Cinematographer

Matthew Ulm is a versatile Indiana filmmaker whose work spans producing, cinematography, and editing across independent and faith-based cinema. Based in the Evansville area, Ulm has become a cornerstone of regional filmmaking, known for his resourceful production style and his warm, grounded visual sensibilities.

As producer and cinematographer for The Borrowed Christmas, Ulm helped shape both the film’s logistical foundation and its visual aesthetic, ensuring the story’s gentle tone and small-town authenticity shone through. His collaborative spirit and multifaceted skill set have earned him respect among filmmakers throughout southern Indiana and beyond.

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Timothy Paul Taylor – Producer, Casting & Location Management

Timothy Paul Taylor is an American artist, actor, writer, director, and producer whose multi-disciplinary career reflects a lifelong commitment to storytelling and the creative process. A native of Bloomington, Indiana, Tim has built a reputation for versatility—moving seamlessly between producing, casting, and location management with a calm, collaborative, solutions-driven approach.

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““We wanted to make something like the only Christmas classics; something that the whole family could sit down and watch year after year and enjoy together." -states Chip Rossetti - "The Borrowed Christmas is a simple story that makes you laugh, cry and smile the whole way through."

Virgil Franklin – Composer & Educator

Virgil Franklin is a prolific composer, producer, and music educator based in Indiana. He currently serves as Program Chair for the Audio Recording program in the Music Department at Vincennes University, leading the school’s training in sound recording, production, and music technology.

In addition to his work at Vincennes University, Franklin recently took on a new role as Band Director at Shakamak Jr.–Sr. High School, where he continues to mentor young musicians.

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A Christmas You Can Rent

The premise is unusual enough to feel like folklore: John Dale, a wealthy and lonely man, decides he wants to experience an “old-fashioned Christmas.” Not the kind found in store windows or Hallmark cards, but the kind he never had—children, decorations, holiday chaos, and even a wife. So he visits a small rent-all shop run by Anne Weston, who agrees to assemble an entire “borrowed” holiday.

What begins as a transaction slowly becomes a transformation. Anne recruits local children, community members, and eventually steps into the role of John’s hired wife. The façade becomes a mirror for real desires—for family, for connection, and for a sense of purpose.

The result is a film that feels like a stage play in motion: intimate scenes, close character work, and emotional beats that unfold delicately.

Indiana at the Center

Although the story takes place in an unnamed town, its heart beats in Evansville, where the film was shot and premiered. Filming in Indiana gave the movie its authentic, hometown texture— local performers, historic interiors, and a community willing to rally behind a small production with big spirit.

For locals, the film’s release was a moment of pride, a reminder that cinematic storytelling doesn’t belong exclusively to the coasts. It emerges wherever people care enough to tell stories well.

The Home in the film is Casa Finale, also known as Venneman Wright House, part of the Riverside Historic District it is listed on the National Register Of Historic Places. Casa Finale is a cornerstone in Evansville’s beautiful downtown Historic District. Just steps away from the Ohio River and the riverfront Greenway.

The rental shop is Kim’s Furniture & Consignment in Newburgh, Indiana a locally owned, family-run business since 2008.

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From Stage to Screen

The Borrowed Christmas originated as a theatrical play, The Rented Christmas. Rossetti adapted the script into a feature film, expanding character backstories and building additional emotional arcs to deepen the material.

“I wanted to take what was already a sweet, meaningful story and give the characters real lives,” Rossetti has said in interviews. “If audiences were going to believe in this unusual arrangement—a rented family—they needed to understand the longing behind it.”

His adaptation retained the gentle moral tone of the original play while adding emotional clarity and cinematic pacing.

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Reception: Imperfect, Earnest, and Loved

Critics have described the film as modest, gentle, and intentionally theatrical. Faith-based reviewers praised its wholesome tone, while general audiences have noted its unique blend of sentimentality and mild eccentricity.

But where it truly thrives is in community screenings, church gatherings, holiday events, and small-town theaters—places where its sincerity resonates most strongly.

The Borrowed Christmas is not trying to reinvent Christmas cinema. It’s trying to remind us why we care about it in the first place.

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