Newmarket residents searching for Christmas movies this holiday season can get a taste of home on their screens through the work of Brain Power Studios.
The Newmarket-based film studio released Christmas with the Knightlys on digital this month, a film shot around Newmarket and featuring the Newmarket Community Centre and Lions Hall in its poster. It is one of several holiday films the studio, which principally films in the region, is releasing over the next few months.
Brain Power Studio executive producer and CEO Beth Stevenson said these films have become an important tradition for many families.
“Whether it’s a grandmother sitting down with grandkids, a husband and wife sitting together,” she said. “There seems to be always a good appetite for them.”
Christmas with the Knightlys, with a trailer available online, tells the story of Georgia Jackson, who finds herself in the spotlight when in exchange for a new community centre she agrees to pose as the girlfriend of billionaire son Chase Knightly.
It is one of several released the local studio has out this holiday season, with other offerings such as We’re Scrooged and Christmas Time Capsule.
Finding different ways and activities to tell Christmas stories takes work, Stevenson said.
“Every year, everybody strives to do things that are a little different,” she said. “It’s a wonderful change every year for us to come up with things that feel fresh, modern and that people haven’t seen before.”
Christmas with the Knightlys filmed one year ago. Stevenson said it is always a privilege to film around town.
“We have the great privilege to work with the town and profile some of the historic Main Street area,” she said. “We use Trinity (United) Church quite a bit as well on Main Street.”
Spending time with Christmas films like this is a way to take a break from the hustle of the holiday season, she said.
“The holidays can have a lot of pressures around them,” she said. “You can spend 90 minutes watching a story that brings all the Christmas feels but you don’t have to do anything. We’ve done all the work. I think that’s a nice thing.”
Christmas with the Knightlys was released digitally, but streaming availability is not confirmed in Canada. However, the film is available for online purchase in a three-in-one DVD.
The studio will have two releases premiering in Canada on Super Channel this month, Country Hearts Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. and Country Hearts Christmas Nov. 25.
