The holiday season is the perfect time to gather with family and friends to watch movies. From old classics like "It's a Wonderful Life" to newer favorites like "Elf", it's always fun to revisit these seasonal films. But, what happens when you've seen them so many times they have lost their appeal … like a fruitcake in January? That's when it's time to introduce some new movies into your holiday mix.

A trilogy of inspirational films known collectively as "The Key Movies" are now available on Gaia.com, and include:

• "The Keeper of the Keys" (2011),
• "The Secrets of the Keys" (2015), and
• "Becoming the Keys" (2019)

The Key Movies are hybrid films – a unique mix of real-life experts and fictional characters set in a narrative story. The experts, with a little help from some magical spiritual guides, help each character along their journey by offering stories and guidance. Viewers gain a vested interest in a positive outcome for the characters.

The final movie in the series, "Becoming the Keys", features a blind character, Sofia, who is frustrated because she can't get a job. She believes it's because she's blind, but we soon discover that Sofia is her own worst enemy. What most viewers won't know right away is that the woman who plays Sofia, Rachel Magario, is herself a totally blind, kidney transplant survivor. Filming presented some unique challenges for Rachel as well as for the crew.

Rachel was born in Brazil. She lost her eyesight in a car accident when just six years old. She came to the United States to attend college at the University of Kansas. At 19, she and her guide dog were in a crosswalk when a car struck them. This accident cost Rachel her kidneys. In spite of these adversities, Rachel embraces a passion for exploration and enlightenment. She is an accessibility expert with an MBA in Business and holds another MBA in Interaction Design.

Robin Jay, Writer and Producer of all three films, shares "I was very excited at the prospect of being able to feature Rachel in one of my films. I've always been a huge fan of hers, so I wrote the screenplay to feature a character who was inspired by Rachel. She had studied drama in college and felt she could do this with me"

"Considering how strenuous any location production can be, Rachel did a remarkable job. Imagine trying to hit your mark when you can't even see it! Rachel had to rely on her costars to lead her around and explain where to go and what to do. We shot entirely on location, which added a magical element and tremendous beauty to the film, but it also added additional challenges for Rachel. The terrain was uneven and the estate where we filmed is built on a mountainside with flagstone steps everywhere"

"Another challenge for Rachel was that she had to learn her lines simply using text to voice on her laptop. To complicate things further, I had to rewrite the dialogue occasionally due to production or timing requirements," Jay adds. Because Rachel is also a kidney transplant survivor, she has particular dietary requirements and must take medications and meals at specific times throughout the day.

"After several weeks of production spread out over the course of 18 months, I realized the task of shooting on location was simply asking too much of Rachel. I decided to introduce another character that would be able to interact with some of the experts in their segments.

Jay created the character of "Emma," and asked Elizabeth Mathisen if she would be willing to step up and play the character. Elizabeth is the daughter of Kathryn Brinkley, who appeared in "The Secrets of the Keys" as "Gwen", the "Head Spiritual Guide" Being familiar with the films and the project, Elizabeth jumped at the opportunity to help out. Jay admits that everything came together at the very last minute. Jay says, "Elizabeth was a true Godsend. She was a natural! Both ladies were incredible on camera, plus Elizabeth worked with Rachel to help her learn her lines and respond more dramatically on camera"  In the final edit, Rachel's character Sofia is featured in the first 30 minutes of the film; Elizabeth appears throughout the rest of the film as "Emma"

The films were written to be the first fun, inspirational films of their kind. The series features some of today's top thought leaders, speakers, and authors, including Jack Canfield, John Gray, Brian Tracy, don Miguel Ruiz, Rev. Michael Beckwith, John Assaraf, Dannion Brinkley, Joe Vitale, Marci Shimoff, and Gloria Loring. The films also feature experts from across the United States, as well as Canada, France, the U.K., and South Africa. The diverse cast of experts share incredibly moving and motivational stories that are sure to inspire and empower.