Lights, camera, action in the Ottawa Valley! Latest film wraps up in Arnprior and Pembroke
From the Hollywood hills to the Ottawa Valley, big-time directors are travelling to rural communities west of the capital, meaning the next movie you watch could have been shot right in your backyard.
Originally from Ottawa but now living in Los Angeles, director Brian Lutes has been back in the valley this summer shooting his latest film, Painted Sharks, a story set in the late 1970s about a woman and her child seeking refuge from a troubled and abusive relationship.
"There's definitely a distinct flavour up here, it just has that old school charm," Lutes tells CTV News Ottawa. "We shot most of our interior scenes in Arnprior and most of the exterior, the neighbourhood scenes in Pembroke."
Saturday is the last day of filming for Painted Sharks, and Lutes is wrapping up his final scenes at a decommissioned hospital in Smiths Falls. He says after working in the United States for so long, the hospitality is one of the many reasons, aside from the value of the dollar, that filmmakers chose to shoot in Canada.
"Canadians are a lot easier going than Americans. When I'm shooting something stateside, you've got people stepping out their door with shotguns flipping the bird at the camera," admits Lutes. "But in Canada, we call for extras and you've got 200, maybe 500 people with their hands up."
One of those people is Pembroke resident Anna Mary Burke Grattan. She got a knock on the front door of her Victorian home in April, where a location scout asked if she would like to be a part of the movie.
"She asked if I thought we would be interested in being involved in a movie because we have century old houses with porches and it's a very old neighbourhood with mature trees," says Grattan, who has been helping with the movie as a production assistant since.
"And I just love being involved in the whole shoot," continues Grattan, "I actually had a cameo in the movie as well as my husband and some neighbours, so it's been really, really good."
Within the last year, the valley has also been home to two Mel Gibson movie shoots, called Fatman and Bandit. Many Hallmark and Christmas movies were also filmed on the downtown streets of Arnprior.
"You have the beautiful streetscape, but also the historic buildings that make for a great, quaint downtown setting for a lot of the Hallmark typical type of movies," says Lindsay Wilson, Arnprior's marketing and economical development officer. "I think the residents really like seeing the end results, and it's neat to watch movies and see places you are familiar with."
"When you're in the big city like Ottawa or Toronto, everything is new and shiny," says Lutes, who likes to film his movies in historical settings. "But to get that Norman Rockwell painting, you're going to find that still in Arnprior and Pembroke and Petawawa."
Lutes hopes to have Painted Sharks finished by spring, with the goal of having Netflix pick up the production.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
BREAKING 15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members today during a ceremony at British Columbia's legislature cenotaph commemorating the Second World War's Battle of the Atlantic.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.
Amid climate change warnings, Canadians lukewarm on electric vehicles
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.