Staircase Studios AI Releases "Christmas at Godfrey's"

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The SAG-AFTRA approved short film features synthetic AI characters played by union actors.

NEW YORK, NY, February 20, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- Staircase Studios AI, a film, TV, and gaming studio, today released " Christmas at Godfrey's " — a groundbreaking short film featuring synthetic AI characters played by real actors, which received official SAG-AFTRA approval for its union cast. The 12-minute film marks a landmark moment in AI filmmaking, demonstrating how the technology can work within Hollywood's union framework.

The film, directed by Brett Stuart and based on a play by Jason Chimonides, features a distinguished ensemble led by Fred Melamed, the Indie Spirit Award-winning actor known for the Coen Brothers' "A Serious Man" and "Hail, Caesar!," as well as HBO's "Barry" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm." The cast also includes Ana Cruz Kayne ("Barbie," "Painkiller"), Ben Lloyd-Hughes ("Industry," "Divergent"), Pun Bandhu ("Burn After Reading," "Relay"), Lindsey Girardot Teets ("Ghost World"), and Will Nixon ("Slave Play. Not a Movie. A Play.").

The film's script, direction, performances, score, and sound mix are all the work of traditional artists. The cinematography and design team used multiple AI tools to create and enhance the visual imagery.

"Christmas at Godfrey's" follows a soft-spoken, hard-working elf — an immigrant and refugee fleeing the genocidal Santa Claus — whose Christmas Eve shift in a New York City department store takes an unexpected turn when a face from his past shows up. The short is  available now on YouTube along with a behind-the-scenes featurette.

"At Staircase, we're using AI to make stories that wouldn't otherwise get made — while paying union wages and hiring best-in-class talent. With "Christmas at Godfrey's," we employed over two dozen artists across the industry, demonstrating what ethical AI filmmaking looks like in practice," said Pouya Shahbazian, CEO and founder of Staircase Studios AI.

"In 'Christmas at Godfrey's,' we used a Christmas display window as a pressure cooker, and while the holidays can be sweet, sometimes they feel like a fever dream. So we used AI's hallucinations as raw visual material and shaped them with intent. New tools, but same job as ever: serve the characters, land the emotion, tell the story," said Brett Stuart, director.

The film features an original score by Emmy Award-nominated composer Danny Lux, who scored all 22 seasons of "Grey's Anatomy." Cinematography is by Giles Dunning ("The Tribes of Palos Verdes"), with sound design and mixing led by Grant Elder ("Nyad," "The Black Phone 2"). The original play is by Jason Chimonides, whose plays have been performed off-Broadway and published by Dramatists Play Service.

About Staircase Studios AI

Staircase Studios AI was founded in 2024 by Pouya Shahbazian with a mission to produce original studio-quality film, television, and gaming projects for under $500,000. The company launched with lead investor and partner Kenneth Lerer, co-founder of The Huffington Post, and Head of AI Filmmaking Brett Stuart, who brings an animation background and mentorship from veteran Pixar, Disney, and DreamWorks animators. Joining the Staircase executive team this past year was technologist Jeffrey Jang.

Staircase is currently in production on the previously announced feature "The Woman with Red Hair," based on the Black List script by Michael Schatz and directed by Stuart.

Next on the release calendar is the short film "Prince & Knight," adapted from Daniel Haack's children's book of the same name. The book gained national attention after being referenced in last year's U.S. Supreme Court case Mahmoud v. Taylor. "Prince & Knight" tells the story of a prince who finds love with a knight as they battle a dragon to save their kingdom.

Links

Film:  youtu.be/TxogMLD5wJw

Trailer: youtu.be/fIeZGYWgYgI

Behind-the-scenes: youtu.be/EE6I0fYvbqA

Media kit: drive.google.com/drive/folders/14bZoNUcROqyYjYsqCvwDiNDVT8coeTt-?usp=drive_link

Film site:  www.staircasestudios.ai/films-christmas-at-godfreys

Company: www.staircasestudios.ai

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SOURCE: Staircase Studios AI

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