‘The Christmas Witch Trial of La Befana’ – Anjelica Huston Playing the Christmas Witch

No stranger to playing witches on screen, Anjelica Huston (The Witches) has been cast to play the legendary Christmas Witch in upcoming film The Christmas Witch Trial of La Befana.

Variety reports that the holiday movie is a “live-action/hybrid feature,” with Canada’s HighballTV behind the project. It’s based on a popular Italian folk tale, the website notes.

“The Christmas Witch Trial of La Befana tells the story of a group of children who kidnap the legendary Christmas Witch and put her on trial as a means of banishing her annual judgments.”

Variety notes in today’s report detailing the upcoming movie, “production will feature several animation techniques, including extensive use of rotoscope.”

Jesse Gervasi, Maya Misaljevic, Luca Doulgeris, Paolo Mancini, Tarah Consoli, Juan Chioran, and Phil Luzi will also star alongside Anjelica Huston.

Matt Campagna is directing the film, written by David James Brock and Melissa D’Angostino.

Also known as the Befana, the Christmas Witch of Italian folk tales flies around on a broom giving gifts to the nice children and delivering coal to the naughty children on Epiphany Eve. The character has recently appeared on Disney+ series The Santa Clauses, and Michele Soavi (Cemetery Man) directed a film called The Legend of the Christmas Witch back in 2018.

The Christmas Witch in ‘The Santa Clauses’