Otoja Abit is best known for his award-winning debut short, Jitters, in which he wrote, directed, produced, and starred. Otoja expands on his short Jitters’ theme with his first-of-its-kind urban-leaning holiday film A New York Christmas Wedding now available on Netflix. The film touches on some of the themes involving the LGBTQIA Community and religion. A New York Christmas Story follows the life of Jennifer Ortiz (Nia Fairweather) as her Christmas wedding to handsome, successful fiancé, David (Otoja Abit) approaches. Feeling overwhelmed by a dinner with her soon to be in-laws, Jennifer goes out for a jog to clear her mind. While on her run, she meets the angel Azrael, who is delightfully gay, and he gives her the chance to experience another version of her life with everything she truly wants — the opportunity to listen to her heart and pursued the feelings for her childhood best friend, Gabrielle Vernaci (Adrina DeMeo). It is exciting to see a holiday movie cover these issues and embrace love in a new way! To learn more, check out our exclusive interview with Otoja Abit below.

Where are you based?
I live in New York City.

What inspired you to get into filmmaking?
I was drawn to filmmaking because it allows me to tell personal stories that explore human behavior in recreated situations. I always looked to film to answer life's questions that I couldn't voice.

Can you tell us a bit about your new film, A New York Christmas Wedding?
A New York Christmas Wedding was my debut feature film inspired by my debut short, Jitters. It explores love lost and gained while being an original holiday story from a personal urban perspective.

What inspired you to create this film?
When we made Jitters, the takeaways were so strong from viewer to viewer. The production company, Conglomerate Media, knew there was a vacancy for LGBTQ+ holiday stories. Producer Kory Apton enjoyed Jitters and asked if it can be expanded into a feature film but needed four things: New York City, a church wedding, a same-sex couple, and Christmas. Exploring the original Jitters themes in a feature-length format was challenging and extremely rewarding for its message.

Why was it important to you for the film to touch on themes involving the LGBTQIA community and religion?
The themes of this film are so specific to a community, and in that, specificity became more and more universal. It's a travesty that people who grew up in a church and evolved into loving adults will step away from that same place of worship because of who they choose to love. I can't speak for all of religion in this film. I just wanted to raise questions that I strongly believe need answers.

Going back to when Kory asked for those four essential things for this feature, I wrestled with the truth of why it's complicated. The main reasoning behind that was because of the church. It's apparent. To my knowledge, I haven't seen a film where diverse leads are married in a church by a priest. Ordained Ministers? Yes. But not a priest. I wasn't naive about why that was, and that thought pushed A New York Christmas Wedding. For a low budget film to stand out, you have to explore themes that audiences haven't seen before. Luckily for us, in this genre, we are vanguards.

My favorite character in the film, Azrael, was hilarious and had so much charisma! How did you come up with the character?
Azrael was such a delight to write. His voice was succinctly clear in my head when writing the script. I'm a spiritual person. Christmas is a spiritual holiday. The Christmas stories I enjoy are ones that deal with magic and angels. So I explored that and also knew Azrael had to be grounded in realism— it's New York City! The name Azrael is a holy name for Angel of Death. Yes, dark... but Azrael's job, as an Angel, is one that is so beautifully touching. To tie in Azrael's character with the true love story between Gabby & Jenny was something that I'm very proud I could accomplish. And THEN to have a wonderful actor like Cooper Koch bring Azrael to full life was something I prayed for, and luckily it was gracefully answered.

What has the response been like to Azrael's character?
It's funny because the responses to this film as a whole have been strong. Some people hate Christmas films and then expect a Christmas film with diverse leads and LGBTQ+ themes to be the only one they'll enjoy. That's unrealistic. But Azrael is one thing EVERYONE has an opinion about. We've even gotten fan art about him. Does he drive a lot of emotion out of people, and some love that experience, or curse Azrael for releasing that emotional truth and the reactions for the third act spoiler? A lot of strong responses there too!

The film emphasizes the importance of taking risks. What risks have you taken that paid off in the long run?
The most significant risk I've taken thus far has been making this film. To write, direct, produce, and act in a feature film shot in fourteen days is not for the weak of heart. It's eighteen months of living with this story and finding a will to get it done. There were tons of friends, family, and our crew by my side for support— I wasn't alone in that. But to wear all those hats and create an ambitious love story on a low budget is a major risk. That risk is being paid off daily when I receive messages from viewers on how they're finally seen in a holiday film and how much they appreciate an original story. That, more than anything else, satisfies the importance of creating and share personal stories.

The film industry is one of the hardest industries to break into. What steps did you take that allowed you to get your foot in the door?
Even with a foot in the door, I constantly feel that I'm still trying to prop that door open to get my whole body in. And I'm tall, so there's a whole lot of body to get in there! When I started in this business, I knew the best way to meet people and share my talent was as an actor. I knew actors could work with producers, writers, directors, and other actors and build their Rolodex of support by saying "yes" to all opportunities, supporting artists whenever possible, and infusing yourself with it all. That presence and infusion kept me around enough for people to begin bringing me in. There's a persistence we all must have when doing the impossible—that something for any profession, especially this industry.

You are a writer, director, producer, and actor. Of all these qualities, what do you gravitate more to?
I gravitate to producing. Our production company Willful Productions has two films: Jitters and A New York Christmas Wedding. We also have three music videos: "Strong" by the wonderful artist Queen V. And "Memories" and "The Bells on Christmas" by Kelsey Madsen. It's a journey. Our team produced all of these music videos during this pandemic. To have art and hand it over to someone and say, "We made this," is a true source of my pride. It's not easy. And as we're starting, you can see the growth in each project, and I'm eagerly looking forward to what's to come.

With a lack of diversity in the film industry, are there any adversities you have to face?
The adversity is being able to find more opportunities and continue the work. I'm grateful for Conglomerate Media, a Latin production company that invested in me. That doesn't happen often, and more companies should look to the other side of the table to discover new and original voices. Being diverse, we don't have many chances to fail. It's proven. It's more challenging to raise capital, secure production, sell scripts, or even get gigs or develop in studios because our own aren't heads of those studios. It'll happen. But right now, we have to go out and create greatness to prove we belong. There's no doubt about that.

What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers trying to break into the industry?
Keep doing the work. There are no shortcuts to that. People are watching, and people will always support true things. Keep pushing.

Why is A New York Christmas Wedding a film everyone needs during these hard times?
A New York Christmas Wedding is a feel-good movie. It's good to explore content and actively involve oneself in a compelling story. We have that with entertainment and also a true emotional roller coaster.

How has the current pandemic impacted you? How are you staying positive during the shelter-in-place?
The pandemic has impacted the overall mindset of gathering and art. I love theater, I love movie theaters, and it's been challenging to sit in front of a screen daily/hourly. Luckily during this time, we had our film acquired and released on Netflix, which was a major plus.

What is your motto in life?
"JUMP." (When they're doubts about doing things or any other indecision, JUMP into it with all the passion and drive. You won't be sorry.)

To learn more about Otoja Abit, please follow him via the below links:
Our production company: www.willfulproductions.com
Instagram: @ohabit @willfulproductions
Twitter: @ohabit @willfulproducts
Facebook: Otoja Abit

Otoja Abit Is A Quadruple Threat