Although the story itself is set in Maine, there are signs of St. John’s, N.L., all over one of the latest Hallmark holiday movies, Merry Mystery Christmas.
The colourful townhouses of Chapel Street, the Winterholme Spa, the Colonial Building — all downtown St. John’s landmarks that set a snowy backdrop for the story.
"I think right now what people are seeing is that Newfoundland has the beauty and the authenticity of the small town feel," said Justin Nurse, who acts in the film.
"We got the real snow, we got the real cold. And as challenging as that might be to shoot in March … you can’t fake that kind of beauty."
Nurse has parts in two of three films that are airing this month on the Hallmark Channel and the W Network in Canada. The films were produced by Fireside Pictures, a local production company, with local actors and producers.
In a province that’s invested heavily in creating a film and television industry — just last month the provincial government announced another — Hallmark’s interest in St. John’s is “exceptional news,†said Laura Churchill, the head of PictureNL.
Justin Nurse has roles in two local films airing this month on the Hallmark Channel. He acts in Merry Mystery Christmas and My Christmas Guide.
is a provincial government Crown corporation that works to lure film and television productions to the province with tax credits and sponsorships.
Churchill estimates about $100 million is spent each year on film productions in the province, more than double what it was in 2016.
And the new local productions are making more work for aspiring actors and film professionals in Newfoundland and Labrador.
"I’ve done a couple of auditions for Hallmark movies in the country, other than this province, but of course you’re going up against a lot more people trying to act," said Eliza King, who plays a TV videographer in Merry Mystery Christmas.
Eliza King runs two small businesses in the St. John’s area, including one where she creates and acts as fairytale princesses for children’s birthday parties. These local films gave her an opportunity to grow in the film industry.
"Maybe if I really stuck to it and really tried, it might have happened, but the fact that it was here in my hometown definitely gave me a better opportunity."
King’s managed to move up the ranks, going from background actor to scoring a speaking role — all with productions shot in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Those opportunities for career growth and skill development are the lasting legacy for these types of productions, according to Nurse.
Laura Churchill, the CEO of PictureNL, says although the provincial government invests heavily in subsidizing the local industry, each dollar the government spends returns around $3 to $4 in the provincial economy.
"I know of many people who had not been a part of the film industry who were able to intern or be a part of these productions in one way or another," he said. "I know that there are casting agents now in town that didn’t exist here before, there are potentially talent agencies that are growing here."
Churchill said that local infrastructure and skill development will be key to keeping movie giants like Hallmark interested in the province.
It's been exactly three years since Canadian Michael Kovrig returned to Canada after spending 1,019 days in a Chinese prison. Now, he's publicly speaking out about his arrest and detainment for the first time.
Police say a toddler in Cambridge, Ont., who was reported missing early Monday morning, has since died.
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has provided new data on the number of employees who were found to have received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Israeli strikes on Lebanon Monday killed more than 490 people, including more than 90 women and children, Lebanese authorities said, in the deadliest barrage since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.
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Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) should investigate how some students on a recent school field trip ended up at a rally where pro-Palestinian slogans were shouted.
The City of Ottawa says it is recruiting a 'nightlife council' to aid the city's recently appointed nightlife commissioner.
Malaysian police said Monday they have rescued 187 more children and raided locations nationwide linked to an Islamic business group that is being investigated for alleged sexual assault of children.
Israeli strikes on Lebanon Monday killed more than 490 people, including more than 90 women and children, Lebanese authorities said, in the deadliest barrage since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.
A mentally ill man who killed 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in 2021 was convicted Monday of murder and faces life in prison.
The man accused in the apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump at a golf course in Florida left behind a note saying that he intended to kill the former president and maintained in his car a handwritten list of dates and venues where Trump was to appear, the U.S. Justice Department said Monday.
Officials in Birmingham, Alabama, pleaded Monday with members of the public for information leading to arrests in a weekend mass shooting that killed four people and injured more than a dozen others, announcing rewards totaling US$100,000.
The Massachusetts State Police have suspended full-contact boxing training activities among recruits until further notice after a trainee died, a police spokesperson said.
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Justin Trudeau will turn his focus to the ongoing crises in Haiti as he speaks with some world leaders Monday ahead of the 78th meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.
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Officials in the City of Timmins say the state of Municipal Road, which connects Timmins and Iroquois Falls, is well beyond the patch-up phase.
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519 Meets organized a car rally in south London on Saturday in a Value Village parking lot, and it turned out to be their largest ever.
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A London courtroom heard how frightened a woman was after she testified about the aggressive actions of a former London police officer.
Casino Rama announced three new performances will hit the stage this winter.
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A Medicine Hat man faces charges after police say they found him in possession of drugs and a .22-calibre pen gun.
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Newfoundland and Labrador sponsored a minor football team in England, now they’re about to play one of the biggest clubs in European soccer.
Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
A 16-year-old biennial event aimed at fostering business in the country's eastern Arctic and northern regions has been cancelled indefinitely as a dispute unfolds between Inuit in Canada and a Labrador group claiming to share their heritage.
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