Official Trailer for Uplifting Santa Claus Documentary ‘Santa Camp’
by Alex Billington
November 4, 2022
Source: YouTube
“Santa Claus is just an idea.” HBO Max has revealed an official trailer for Santa Camp, a charming new documentary film about the jolly Santa Claus performers (and Mrs. Claus!) who appear every holiday season around the world. Each summer in the woodlands of New Hampshire, aspiring Kris Kringles convene at Santa Camp – organized by the powerful New England Santa Society. When three “nontraditional” recruits join the ranks of their fellow Clauses, they begin an uphill battle in the struggle for acceptance. After camp, our newly minted Santas return home with hopes of changing their own communities’ relationship with Santa Claus. But not everyone is ready for new Santas who “break the mold,” of course. The film introduces a trans Santa, a Black Santa, and a disabled Santa into the mix, and while they’re welcomed at the camp, it’s the regular people out in the real world that are getting upset about nonsense. As expected. But this seems like a wholesome attempt to push back against that bigotry and show that Santa can look like or be anyone.
Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Nick Sweeney’s doc Santa Camp, direct from YouTube:
Every summer, a horde of professional Santas, Mrs. Clauses and elves descend on a campsite in the New Hampshire woods to learn the tricks of their trade. But this year is different. The organizers, members of the one-hundred strong New England Santa Society, have decided to tackle a complicated and historic problem – the lack of diversity in the Santa industry. They decide to enlist a Black Santa named Chris, a Santa with a disability named Fin, and a transgender Santa named Levi, each with their own surprising Santa origin story. Meanwhile, the Mrs. Claus delegation, led by veteran Dianne, is becoming outspoken in its calls for equal billing and pay. The arrival of new Santas sparks a reckoning about what it means to embody the beloved role model & cultural icon. After graduation, the Clauses draw on their experiences to affect change in their communities. But they soon learn that not everybody is ready for Santas who “break the mold.” Santa Camp is directed by filmmaker Nick Sweeney, director of the TV docs Transgender Kids Camp, The Sex Robots Are Coming, and AKA Jane Roe previously. It’s produced by Stacey Reiss and Nick Sweeney. HBO will debut Santa Camp streaming on HBO Max starting on November 17th, 2022 this fall.
