A love letter to locals | Arts & Entertainment

What do you call a lawyer in Aspen?

A bartender.

The joke, built on the notion that Aspen is so expensive even a lawyer might need a second job, came to Graham Northrup as he contemplated an Aspen-based screenplay.

It became the seed for the film “An Aspen Christmas Conspiracy,” which makes its world premiere at the Wheeler Opera House on Wednesday at 7 p.m. It will be preceded by a red carpet reception at 5:30 p.m. 

For more information about the screening, visit:

wheeleroperahouse.com/event/northrup-studios-world-premiere-an-aspen-christmas-conspiracy/ .

“The plot originated when I moved to Aspen and was interviewing for a job at Theatre Aspen and they gave me an offer and I had to go get a second job so I could afford to move here,” Northrup said in an interview. “My main character is a young attorney moving to Aspen and still has to get a roommate and find a second job just to make ends meet. And his roommate is a social worker who moonlights as a ski instructor.”

“Aspen Christmas” was written and directed by Northrup and produced by Laurie Clemens Maier. The film stars Maura Fawley, Lyon Hamill and an ensemble cast, all of whom have deep ties to the Roaring Fork Valley, many of whom will be in attendance Wednesday.

Cast member and consulting producer Ryan Honey said in a release, “Moving from Los Angeles to Basalt, I didn’t expect to get pulled back into making movies. But Graham’s passion, commitment and drive are a force to be reckoned with. His talents as a writer, director and producer, combined with the impressive group of actors who live in the valley, made the entire experience joyful. The results speak for themselves.”

According to a release, the film “blends courtroom intrigue, romantic tension, and festive charm, offering a fresh take on holiday storytelling. The story follows Justin, a young Deputy D.A. who moves to Aspen and finds himself entangled in a legal case that threatens to unravel the town’s holiday spirit. He meets Mercedes, a social worker and part-time ski instructor, and the two uncover a conspiracy that forces them to work together to save Christmas, and perhaps find love along the way.”

Northrup was born in Lamar in southeastern Colorado. He did most of his growing up in Littleton. He started off as a film major at Brigham Young University and then switched to a theater major. He then earned two master’s degrees, one in instructional technology from Utah State University and the second was an MFA in theater directing at Baylor University.

Northrup began his career in Texas before taking a job in 2010 at Theatre Aspen as director of education, which he did for 11 years before jumping into film and video production full-time for his own production company, Northrup Studios.

“I do various commercial video projects,” he said. “I just shot a music video a couple weeks ago and did a fashion photo shoot yesterday. I also write, produce and direct my own projects. I have done several short films. This is my first feature.”

Northrup met Fawley when she was 15 years old and a student of his at Theatre Aspen. She starred in his short “ Stand Up” before he cast her as the lead in “An Aspen Christmas Conspiracy.”

Northrup had written a sci-fi screenplay but the budget came in too high for an independent production, so he set his eye on a more low-budget film.

“I thought about, ‘What can I leverage here?’ And, of course, Aspen and Christmas and winter, and I thought, ‘Well, let’s make a Christmas rom-com and leverage all the professional actors that I know in my network and take advantage of all the charm and beauty of the Roaring Fork Valley during the wintertime.’”

Northrup started writing the film in February 2024, finished the script in October 2024 and started shooting in early January 2025. Principal photography took place over 18 days. Post production lasted another five months and Northrup delivered the film to his distributor at the end of July.

The whole process took less than two years from conception to completion, which is a remarkably short gestation period for a feature film. “Aspen Christmas” is being distributed digitally by BMG Global, a subsidiary of Twin Engines Global. The company specializes in family friendly fare. The film was released on DVD on Nov. 25. When asked if anyone still buys DVDS, Northrup responded, “My mom does.”

Fawley said the experience of making the film was an adventure.

“We had a very condensed filming schedule with many long days on set,” she said. “In order to capture the beauty of Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley, we filmed outside and were often racing against the sun in order to capture the scene in the perfect lighting. Even after the sunset we were filming night scenes, making for a few cold evenings. Cast members would be bundled up with blankets and gloves in between takes and then quickly shed the warm layers before Graham called out, ‘Action!’

“The team assembled for this project made these long workdays incredibly joyous,” Fawley continued. “It was a pleasure to work with so many talented professionals, many of whom I grew up watching perform in the valley when I was younger.”

Maier said she hopes people experience the spirit of Christmas when watching the film. 

“The script has wonderful themes, but I really love that caring for people will always matter more than making money,” she said. “I also hope that people see the incredible talent in the Roaring Fork Valley. With the continued support of communities up and down the valley, Graham and I would love to continue to make feature films here.”

Northrup pointed out “Aspen Christmas” is not about the glamour and glitz of Aspen. 

“The film is about two opposite sides of an ideological spectrum,” he said. “The lawyer’s idea of justice and how it contrasts with the social worker’s idea of mercy and what is the intersection between those two ideals. I hope people think about working together and about the community aspect of Aspen. I love the people, I love the things that we’re able to do in Aspen that no other small town in America can do. The film is a love letter to Aspen — and in particular to the working people of Aspen.