Film Crew In Richmond For Movie Shoot

Driving by the Quick Pick store in Richmond on a Monday morning, the last thing you would expect to see is a wedding photo shoot in the parking lot outside the store. But that was the strange scene in the village as passers by did double takes.
The parking lot in the shopping plaza at Perth and Nixon Farm in Richmond was a sea of trucks, trailers and cars over the weekend and Monday as crews and talent were in town shooting for a movie to be released in 2023. Indications are that will be a television movie for Lifetime or another network.
“It’s not a Christmas movie this time,” said one of the crew members, referencing the number of winter and holiday-themed movies that have been filmed in rural Ottawa over the last few years. “Many of the people here were involved as extras or on the crew for ‘Candy Cane Christmas.’”
Shooting was done Sunday and Monday at a farm house location just outside of Richmond. Monday morning, the day began with a wedding shoot in the parking lot between Quick Pick and the constituency office of MPP Goldie Ghamari.
The expectation is that the movie will be released next summer, and will be centered around the journey of a young man in search of his past. After leaving Richmond, the cast and crew headed to Almonte to shoot more scenes.
The film production industry has grown exponentially in the Ottawa area over the last several years. Canada is lucrative for the film industry as a production site because of the tax breaks and grants available, as well as the low cost of the dollar. Ottawa has world class sound, animation and production companies, as well as an outstanding film and media production course at Algonquin College.
‘Candy Cane Christmas’ was the last major production filmed in the area, as most of the movie was shot in Manotick. In 2020, the village kept its Christmas lights on for an extra month as shooting was done at Watson’s Mill and on Manotick Main Street, as well as inside McDonough’s Your Independent Grocer, Terra Plants and Flowers, and Village of Manotick Animal Hospital.
According one of the crew members we talked to, Hawaiian TV-film actress and singer Janel Parrish is apparently starring in the movie. More details on the movie currently being shot will be shared as they become available.