Jen Lilley Celebrates ‘Wholesome, Uplifting Content’ at 2025 Movieguide® Awards
By Movieguide® Contributor
Jen Lilley was excited to celebrate “wholesome entertainment” at this year’s Movieguide® Faith & Values Awards Gala — and shared what she hopes we see more of in the movies this year.
“I love coming to the Movieguide® [Awards]! I can’t believe they let me in every year!” she joked on the red carpet. “I’m presenting the Grace Award tonight, which I’m so thrilled about. All the nominees are my friends, so no matter who wins, I’m just going to be on the side with pompoms.”
Lilley continued, “I love celebrating wholesome, uplifting content, and there’s so many wonderful programs that we’re celebrating tonight. I love that when we’re talking about wholesome entertainment — which we know is the number one seller and I appreciate that we’re actually bringing the truth to that — not only that these are movies that sell, they’re very elevated movies that motivate and inspire, and I think that we need more of that. We need more unity. We need more stories of redemption and hope in our country.”
Lilley was also celebrating one of her own movies; A LITTLE WOMEN’S CHRISTMAS was nominated for the Epiphany Prize®.
READ MORE: A LITTLE WOMEN’S CHRISTMAS REVIEW
The actress shared that one of her favorite movies nominated that night was SOUND OF HOPE: THE STORY OF POSSUM TROT.
“I thought that movie was so wonderfully shot and edited. I thought the music was perfect, I thought the editing was perfect, I thought the acting was perfect, I thought the writing was perfect, I thought every single second stood alone,” Lilley said. “I think they did such a beautiful job highlighting the reality of foster care, and the reality of foster care looks like when you bring Jesus into the story.”
READ MORE: SOUND OF HOPE: THE STORY OF POSSUM TROT REVIEW
Lilley also shared what she hopes we see more of in movies and TV in 2025.
“I hope to see more redemptive stories where we actually explore the mess, because I think that Jesus is so amazing and the Bible is such a messy story,” she explained. “It’s just so amazing that we serve a God that runs toward brokenness, and so I hope there’s more brokenness and more mess that’s shown so that people that maybe don’t know Jesus yet understand that there is no pit so deep you would ever find yourself in that His love cannot find you.”
The actress is already working on making that happen — it was recently announced that she will star in upcoming Christmas movie HOLIDAY HEARTS alongside Kathleen Quinlan and Michelle Hurd.
“Eeek!!! I have been waiting to announce this for the longest time,” she posted on Instagram. “Thank you @variety for breaking the news! I am so thrilled I get to work alongside these legends in hands down, the best holiday film I’ve ever read!”
Lilley, a Christmas movie mainstay, recently told Soap Opera Digest why she loves the genre so much.
“Holiday movies are pure joy to make,” she said. “They bring so much warmth, hope, and nostalgia. It’s like wrapping yourself in a cozy blanket and sharing a moment of happiness with the world.”
Watch the awards show on Great American Family on March 6 at 8 p.m. EST.
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