Melanie Lynskey, Lena Dunham, Anna Kendrick, and Mark Webber starring in Joe Swanberg's 'Happy Christmas'

As you well know, we (or maybe it's just me) are huge fans of Melanie Lysnkey around here, and relish any chance to see her whether it's on the big or small screen. Her film Hello I Must Be Going was on my list of 2012's Hidden Cinematic Gems, and frankly I feel she gave the best lead performance of the year. Fortunately, we'll have a chance to see her in action again soon, and it's in a holiday-themed film from the immensely talented and red hot Joe Swanberg.

In a conversation with Indiewire, Swanberg revealed he had completed Happy Christmas, which stars Lynskey, Lena Dunham, Mark Webber, and Anna Kendrick. Kendrick starred in Swanberg's Drinking Buddies, which was a hit out of SXSW and picked up by Magnolia Pictures for release this summer. The film will center on a family during the holiday season. In a change of pace, Swanberg will be venturing away from the digital format that has helped take him to such quick success, working with Beasts of the Southern Wild cinematographer Ben Richardson to shoot it on 16mm film.

Swanberg has the Jane Adams-led film All the Light in the Sky coming up this fall, and another indie film titled 23 Exposures. As for Happy Christmas, it won't be ready until sometime next year, where he hopes it will be hit the festival circuit.