The Journey of Sleighed by the Spirits
What began as a 48-hour filmmaking challenge in Washington, DC has grown into a nationally distributed feature film rooted in sobriety, grief, faith, and personal redemption. Sleighed by the Spirits is not just a holiday film—it is a story forged through lived experience, community collaboration, and an unwavering belief that meaningful stories can heal.
The Spark: DC 48 Hour Film Festival
Directed by filmmaker Jason S. Henderson, professionally known as King Jason, Sleighed by the Spirits was born during the DC 48 Hour Film Festival, a high-intensity competition that brought together more than 45 filmmaking teams from across the region.
Developed with participation from staff at Ergo OccMed in Washington, DC, the project was community-centered from day one—built on trust, urgency, and shared purpose. While the film did not take the festival’s top prize, it received a defining honor: Best Original Score / Soundtrack
That recognition affirmed the project’s emotional and creative direction. Encouragement from James Lewis and Stephanie Cristancho, leaders within the DC 48 Hour Film Festival, became a critical turning point—pushing Henderson to imagine the film beyond the constraints of competition.
From Short Film to Feature Vision
Initially completed as a seven-minute short, Sleighed by the Spirits also existed in an extended 20-minute cut. Festival conversations quickly shifted from “strong short” to a bigger question: Could this become a feature? As Henderson and his collaborators continued screening films throughout 2025, that question gained momentum. At the same time, Henderson’s award-winning documentary series I Am A Martial Autist was screening and winning awards in New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, and Washington, DC, placing the team in dialogue with filmmakers, programmers, and industry professionals who recognized the project’s depth and relevance.
Creative Community and the Push to Distribute
While attending the Carpool Film Festival in Atlanta, the team connected with fellow creatives Qiana Camille and DeShon Green, who encouraged Henderson to pursue Filmhub as a distribution pathway. That advice sparked a bold decision: to expand Sleighed by the Spirits into a full-length feature. Over the summer months, additional scenes were written and filmed, deepening the narrative and bringing the final runtime to 87 minutes.
Music as Storytelling: A Soundtrack with Purpose
Music is the emotional backbone of Sleighed by the Spirits. The film features an original soundtrack from a diverse collective of artists, including:
Swehla Hunt • Dyani Star Myles • Darrell Dange “Mr. Melody” • Sunfiadagrate • Don Richardson • Steven Live • King Jason.The music does more than underscore scenes—it mirrors the film’s central themes of sobriety, recovery, temptation, and spiritual warfare. These themes align closely with Henderson’s own written work, including his book Sober Is Sexy, which explores sobriety not as limitation, but as liberation. – Available on Spotify and Apple Music
Performance Rooted in Truth
The film’s emotional weight is anchored by Angel Terrell, who serves as lead actress and director. Drawing from her memoir, Don’t Tell Me I’m Strong: How Grief Made Me Real, Not Resilient, Terrell infuses the character with raw vulnerability. Her portrayal of grief, relapse, and resilience grounds the film’s supernatural elements in authentic human experience—making the struggle feel intimate, not abstract.
Beyond the Film: Building a Living Brand
Following release, the project expanded into a full brand ecosystem, including merchandise such as: Hats • T-shirts • Sweatshirts • Sneakers • More By releasing ahead of December 1, the team leveraged the holiday season—while acknowledging that the film’s themes of addiction, grief, and healing are timeless.
Festival Recognition and Continued Rise
Over nearly 14 months, Sleighed by the Spirits evolved from a local competition entry into a nationally distributed feature, earning recognition from:
• LA WebFest – Best Director (Jason S. Henderson)
• New York City International Film Festival
• Carpool Film Festival (Atlanta)
• DC 48 Hour Film Festival
The film continues to grow through grassroots marketing, social media engagement, and direct audience connection, proving the power of authenticity over spectacle.
Deeper Look: The Story at the Core
Sobriety comes with a battle.
Sleighed by the Spirits follows Angel, six months sober after a devastating DUI, as she is stalked by Leviathan, the dark spirit of addiction that seduces and torments her during moments of weakness. Alongside her, Marcus faces his own demons, haunted by the alluring spirits of Vodka, Malt Liquor, and Whiskey. As both confront shame, loneliness, and temptation, they learn that addiction is not just personal, it is spiritual. Guided by faith, community, and the principles of Kwanzaa, they must stand together to defeat the forces seeking to enslave them. The result is a redemptive holiday drama blending supernatural suspense with raw human struggle, a story of resilience, unity, and reclaiming joy in the darkest season.
Actress Angel Terrell Gives Insights Behind The Role
When asked what drew her to the role in Sleighed by the Spirits, Angel Terrell shared a deeply personal connection to the film. “What drew me to this role was its honesty,” she reflected. “Sleighed by the Spirits isn’t just a holiday film , it’s a story about confronting the versions of ourselves we try to outrun.”
The film goes beyond the typical holiday genre, focusing on transformation and the internal struggles of a character faced with the chance to change. Angel continued, “I was deeply moved by the opportunity to portray a woman choosing healing over history and faith over familiarity. Stories like this remind us that transformation is never convenient… but it is always possible.”
For Angel, transformation means letting go of the past, even when it’s the one thing that has always understood our pain. “Transformation asks us to release the past, even when it’s the only thing that ever understood our pain,” she explained. In a world that often pushes us to move on from our struggles, Sleighed by the Spirits offers a narrative where true healing comes from confronting and embracing those struggles.
A Deeply Personal Connection
While every scene in the film carried meaning for Angel, there was one moment that she found particularly emotionally resonant. “While every scene in this film carries meaning for me, the one I felt most emotionally connected to was a deeply vulnerable moment,” she shared. In this scene, Terrell’s character, overwhelmed by grief and past pain, is holding a photograph of her late mother while intoxicated. She softly whispers, “Only if heaven had a phone so I could call you.”
This scene held even deeper significance for Angel Terrell, as the photograph in question was of her real mother, who passed away in December 2021. “That moment resonates with me personally, as it was a real photograph of my mother, who passed away in December 2021 and was the one person who truly understood my pain,” she explained. The authenticity of this moment added layers of emotion, making it not just a scene, but a deeply personal experience for the actress.
As an artist, Angel believes in the power of silence. “I believe silence can sometimes tell the truth more clearly than dialogue. This philosophy is reflected in the scene, where the absence of words amplifies the raw emotion. “That scene captures the heart of the film — the decision to change, even when the past is calling you back,” she noted.
More About the Filmmaker: King Jason
Jason S. Henderson (King Jason) is an award-winning filmmaker, recording artist, author, and creative entrepreneur based in Washington, DC. He is the founder of King Jason Media and King Jason Music, where he develops original films, soundtracks, and literary works centered on human resilience, social impact, and emotional truth.
With a professional background in physical therapy and healthcare entrepreneurship, Henderson brings a rare real-world perspective to storytelling—often exploring mental health, recovery, community healing, and personal transformation.
His acclaimed documentary series I Am A Martial Autist has received international recognition, including Best International Film at Rio Webfest 2025 and Best Director at LA Webfest 2025. Across film, music, and literature; including books such as Soundtrack to My Soul, Sober Is Sexy, and Counter Culture: The Winner’s Circle Manifesto—Jason continues to build a multidimensional creative legacy that bridges art, advocacy, and inspiration.
Post-Production and National Release of Sleighed by the Spirits : Post-production was completed with the support of Carlos Ware, who not only stars in the film but played a critical role in editing and navigating Filmhub’s Quality Control (QC) process. Streaming nowSleighed by the Spirits on Fawesome TV:
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