"Christmas on Mars" is the directorial debut of Wayne Coyne, lead singer and frontman for the Flaming Lips.
Coyne co-directed with George Salisbury, an audiovisual technician who works with the band. Coyne constructed much of the set - representing Mars - in his Oklahoma City backyard.
The film does indeed take place during Christmastime on Mars, as the colonization of the Red Planet is underway.
But when an oxygen generator and a gravity control pod malfunction, Major Syrtis (the Lips' Steven Drozd) and his team (including the Lips' bassist Michael Ivins) fear for the worst.
Syrtis hallucinates about the birth of a baby, and many other strange things. Meanwhile, a compassionate alien superbeing (Coyne) arrives, inspiring and helping the isolated astronauts.
Also appearing in the film are the band's road drummer Kliph Scurlock, manager Scott Booker, and many other familiar figures from the Lips' community.
Starring: Steven Drozd, Michael Ivins, Wayne Coyne, Kliph Scurlock, Scott Booker