Kristoffer Polaha Amazed by Support From Hallmark Stars & Fans Before Directorial Debut (EXCLUSIVE)

It’s a huge week in the life of Kristoffer Polaha, and his peers at Hallmark Channel know it. Many of the actor’s fellow Hallmark stars have shared social media posts to promote and celebrate the upcoming premiere of “Mimics,” a labor of love that Polaha has been dreaming of since he was a teen.

In addition to starring in “Mimics,” Polaha is making his directorial debut with the feature film, which he’s described as a “light-fright romance,” premiering at 400 theaters across the U.S. on February 13, 2026.

In response to the outpouring of love from stars and fans, Polaha told EntertainmentNow, “I am overwhelmed by the generosity of my fellow Hallmark actors and our fans. Folks are literally adopting a screening and buying tickets for ‘Mimics’ even if they can’t go see the movie — proving that Hallmark Channel has the best and most supportive fans in the world!”

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Sharon Lawrence Says Kristoffer Polaha’s Movie is ‘Unlike Anything You’ve Ever Seen’

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Written by Polaha’s friend Marc Oakley, “Mimics” is about “down-on-his-luck impressionist Sam Reinhold,” who chases fame with a “wicked, strings-attached puppet” named Fergus. But his pact with the puppet turns into a “nightmare that threatens the safety of those he holds dear,” per the synopsis.

Beyond shooting the movie with a star-studded cast in his hometown of Reno, Nevada, Polaha has invested an enormous amount of time and passion into the project, which has not gone unnoticed by Hallmark pals who’ve championed the movie on social media, from Victor Webster to Nikki DeLoach to Andrew Walker.

On February 9, Polaha’s “A Grand Ole Opry Christmas” co-star Sharon Lawrence celebrated his achievement by posting an Instagram video, telling fans the movie is “unlike anything you’ve ever seen.” She added, “Those of us who love him, who support him, who are very excited about what he’s created, can support by buying a ticket now.”

The following day, Jonathan Bennett shared the movie poster in his Instagram Stories and wrote, “My buddy @polahaha created a brilliant movie @mimicsfilm and it comes out this Friday in theaters.”

Webster also posted messages in his Instagram Stories, encouraging fans to buy a ticket to “Mimics,” and noted, “Even if you can’t go every ticket sale means a chance of more theaters picking it up which means a bigger chance of success for Kris and the film. Thanks everyone!!”

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Polaha even recruited a Hallmark fan-favorite for the movie — Stephen Tobolowsky, who plays adorably nerdy Ned in Hallmark’s “Haul Out the Holly” franchise. Tobolowsky told ThisFunktional.com he signed on to play Melvin Reinhold in “Mimics” because “I really enjoyed the script and I’d worked with Kristoffer before, and really enjoyed working with Kristoffer.”

Tobolowsky added that “there’s a gift in the movie that I appreciated,” explaining the deeper message that “Mimics” delivers, which he defined as “the difference between success and fame, and the prison that fame becomes.”

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Kristoffer Polaha is Realizing a Lifelong Dream With the Debut of ‘Mimics’

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The debut of “Mimics” has been a long time coming for Polaha, who’s had a successful career in Hollywood, from appearing in blockbuster movies like “Wonder Woman 1984” to starring in 20 Hallmark movies in the last 10 years. But the desire to direct an independent film has lived in his heart since 1994, when he saw Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” as a teen growing up in Reno.

“It was like a clarion call,” he told EntertainmentNow. “He shot up a flare, laid out a path that was like, ‘Follow me to independent filmmaking.’ And I did, it just took a long time. I mean, I had a draft of a script written in 2004 called ‘The Biggest Little City,’ which I still plan to make one day. I just couldn’t get the fundraising — I didn’t, I didn’t have a producing partner, I just didn’t have enough experience yet to pull it off.”

But over the years, the experience and the connections came, including producing partner Ken Carpenter, the script from Oakley, and the realization after shooting so many Hallmark movies in a 15-day window that he didn’t need months to film a movie.

“All of a sudden I understood,” Polaha said. “All of these pieces start piling up, and now I’m looking at the horizon and I’m like, ‘Wait, I know exactly how to make a movie!'”

The experience from start to finish, and all the support he’s received from friends and fans, has Polaha beaming as he prepares for the world premiere in Reno on February 11 and the movie’s opening weekend.

Based on all the momentum and love flowing in, he said, “We’re going to make this the biggest little independent film in the world.”