Whether you’re queuing up your December watchlist or trying to impress visiting relatives, we’ve got some deep cuts for Pittsburgh film buffs. From true Christmas productions to movies that just brush up against the holiday season, here’s your definitive Pittsburgh holiday film companion.
Special thanks to Josh Axelrod, founding member of the Pittsburgh Film Critics Association, at The Lindsay Theater & Cultural Center in Sewickley for being part of this City Cast Pittsburgh podcast!
This scene from “Happiest Season” was filmed at Belmont Complex Ice Rink. (Courtesy of Hulu)
Movies Actually Shot in Pittsburgh
Abby (Kristen Stewart) is planning to propose to her girlfriend, Harper (Mackenzie Davis), during her family’s annual holiday party … until Harper confesses she hasn’t come out to her family.
- 📍 Pittsburgh cred: Filmed in Shadyside, Carnegie, McCandless, and Cranberry, with interiors on local soundstages. Harper’s character is also billed as a Post-Gazette reporter.
A dysfunctional family led by soon-to-be-divorcées played by Diane Keaton and John Goodman converge for Christmas Eve. Everyone is dealing with something as they try to enjoy one last “perfect” holiday together.
- 📍 Pittsburgh cred: Filmed all over the city — and you can really tell. Spot Ross Park Mall and Pittsburgh International Airport, as well as neighborhoods like Fox Chapel, Lawrenceville, and Downtown. Most exterior shots are unmistakably local.
Spot That Pittsburgh Cameo!
Just north of the city, a charming little corner of Broad and Beaver streets in Sewickley has made it into at least a dozen Hallmark and Lifetime holiday films, usually as a quick establishing shot to help set up a cozy holiday tone.
- 🤔 What’s really there? A Brooklyn-based clothing chain called J.McLaughlin. Nearby, stroll the shops and restaurants along Sewickley’s main drag, lovingly called “the village.”
James Stewart and Gloria Grahame in a scene from “It's A Wonderful Life.” (Screen Archives / Getty)
Local Actors Connected to Christmas Films
Pittsburgh loves to celebrate its most famous faces. Let us know if we missed any here.
Dickens' Christmas classic gets a musical reboot when hard-nosed Mr. Sood is forced to confront his past, present, and future — guided by three colorful spirits, including Pittsburgh's own Billy Porter as the Ghost of Christmas Present. Streaming now on Paramount+.
This box office bomb punishes touring-musician-dad Michael Keaton with an untimely death on Christmas Day, then harnesses early CGI to bring him back to life one year later as a snowman trying to repair the relationship with his young son. Keaton's (snowman) eyebrows deserve their own award.
Indiana County's James Stewart plays George Bailey, a banker who considers suicide until an angel shows him glimpses of his community if he'd never existed. Initially a box office flop, the film was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture. When it entered the public domain in 1974, it quickly became a Christmas classic and is now recognized as one of the greatest films ever made. Learn more about Stewart’s local legacy at The Jimmy Stewart Museum in Indiana, Pa.
Based on a 1939 novel, this film noir crime drama follows the Christmas Eve flashbacks of a woman who marries a violent aristocrat played by Pittsburgh-born Gene Kelly. Its score was nominated for an Oscar.
“Feast of the Seven Fishes” feels just like an Italian-American Pittsburgh family. (Courtesy of Shout! Studios)
Pittsburgh-Adjacent Holiday(ish) Moments
These are more of a stretch? But just like people love to debate whether “Die Hard” qualifies as a Christmas movie, we’ll drop the bonafides here, and you can be the judge.
- Dear Zoe (2022) Filmed and set in Pittsburgh. Among the many wildly sad plot points is a scene where Zoe scolds her dad for skipping Christmas.
- Feast of the Seven Fishes (2019) Shoutout to City Cast Pittsburgh podcast listener Lea E. for this one. Filmed in Fairmont and surrounding areas of West Virginia, this homey Italian flick definitely captures the mill town vibe.
- Concussion (2015) This fictionalized retelling of Allegheny County’s important discoveries around how concussions harm professional athletes was set and filmed, in part, in Pittsburgh — and was released on Christmas Day.
- The Fault in Our Stars (2014) Filmed in and around Pittsburgh, and possibly the biggest reach on the whole list — Gus explains his cancer relapse to Hazel with the line, "it lit up like a Christmas tree."
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) Set and filmed in Pittsburgh, and includes a Secret Santa scene. Charlie's birthday is also Christmas Eve.
- Agent Emes and the Happy Chanukah (2002) Takes place in "Shpittsburgh." The filmmaker also lived around ‘tahn, at least for awhile.
- The Mothman Prophecies (2002) Filmed in Pittsburgh, Kittanning, and West Virginia. In this fictionalized account of the deadly Silver Bridge collapse in Point Pleasant, W.Va., the bridge falls on Christmas Eve. (The real catastrophe occurred Dec. 15, 1967.)
- Houseguest (1995) Filmed in Pittsburgh and ends with Phil Hartman and Sinbad singing Christmas parody songs.
City Cast’s Adrian González contributed to this post.
