For fans of wholesome, frivolous films, the most wonderful time of the year started in October with the official kickoff of Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas. (October! Mariah would never…)
It started with ‘Twas the Date Before Christmas, starring Winnipeg’s very own Amy Groening. Readers of our previous guides may recognize Groening from numerous appearances in Hallmark films, including last year’s Winnipeg-shot The Santa Summit. ‘Twas marked by her first, and much-deserved, leading role after more than 10 Hallmark films.
2024 in general has been a record-breaking year for the local film production scene, particularly when it comes to Hollywood features and acclaimed works from Winnipeg directors. We’ll have another thematic guide on Winnipeg-shot feature films you can watch in 2025 out soon; and big tip of the hat to Manitoba Film and Music for landing these productions and helping with this guide—thanks Janice! Plus, five of the 47 new Hallmark films for this year’s Countdown to Christmas were shot here, along with three more seasonal features, proving once again that Winnipeg remains a Hallmark location for Hallmark films.
In Canada, you can catch all the action on W Network, which streams across StackTV and is available on streaming services like Prime Video, Rogers Ignite, Bell Fibe TV and fubo.
Hallmark holiday films
Christmas on Call – Premieres on Friday, November 22
The city serves as Philadelphia in this gritty offering from Hallmark. Okay, it’s not gritty, but rather a holiday romance, and Winnipeg playing The City of Brotherly Love isn’t the biggest story here because—are you seated and ready?—this film co-stars Taylor Swift’s possible future MIL, Donna Kelce, in her second Hallmark film this year!
That’s Mama Kelce right there in the headline photo sporting an Eagles jersey working the counter at a Philly cheesesteak spot that is actually Shawarma Khan’s Exchange District location. Now, if you are a Winnipeg local who is counting Kelce (and thereby T-Swift) connections to the city, that’s two major ones in a week after dear Travis wore his #8 Zach Collaros Blue Bombers jersey recording his “New Heights” podcast in October. Not to jump to conclusions, but clearly America’s most famous couple has a Winnipeg connection that can no longer be denied—much like the connection between Christmas on Call’s lead characters, Dr. Hannah Michaels (played by Sara Canning) and ENT Wes Sullivan (Ser’Darius Blain), who clearly fell in love as soon as Mrs. Kelce served them their cheesesteaks.
The Manitoba Museum plays the police station; the Pan Am Boxing Club’s exterior is Rocky Gloves; 52 Albert St (in the Exchange, beside Danook) is Hannah’s apartment; the Artspace dray way is where the light tunnel scene was filmed (a popular Hallmark location if there ever was one); the Canadian Mennonite University plays both the hospital courtyard (exterior) and the elementary school; and the charming little Bavarian-style Christmas market was shot in Bijou Park beside Old Market Square.
Like all the Hallmark films on this list, you’ll see plenty of local actors too, including Anjali Sandhu (a comedian and lawyer who was also in Winnipeg legal drama Burden of Truth, which featured just about every Winnipeg actor named in this guide) and Hallmark regulars Lauren Cochrane, John B. Lowe and Paul Essiembre (the latter two also appear in A Carol for Two, listed below). The production also brought plenty of fake snow to the streets of The Exchange District when they were filming in May.
A Carol for Two – Premiered on Friday, Nov 1.
A Carol for Two’s plot involves a love triangle featuring singing waitstaff at New York’s “legendary theatre district diner” Fiore’s, where one standout performance could be your ticket to Broadway! (In this case, Broadway will be the Burton Cummings Theatre.) It’s a bewitching plot if you ask us, going against the standard Hallmark "there's no place like home” structure where the female lead leaves “the big city” to unexpectedly fall in love in their rural birthplace. Plus, it features two of Broadway’s actual Wicked stars, Ginna Claire Mason (playing Violette, who has left Idaho to chase her Broadway dreams) and Jordan Litz (who plays Alex).
To create Fiore’s, the production team used the exterior of 90 Albert Street in the Exchange District, while the interior of this enchanting room was all Rudy’s Eat and Drink where local actor and singer Stephanie Sy (who we also saw last year in The Santa Summit with Amy Groening) takes the stage and belts out a number too.
You can see Sy in the upcoming Winnipeg-shot Love Hurts, starring Academy Award-winner Ke Huy Quan (it premieres in February), and on Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre’s John Hirsch Mainstage as the lead in Waitress from January 7 to February 1, 2025 (get your tickets here).
Five Gold Rings – Premiered on Thursday, November 7
This one is part of the Hallmark Mystery film series, and it has plenty of Christmas trees in it and a plot that centres around returning five gold rings to their original owners before Christmas—which is just nine days away! It stars Hallmark regular Holland Roden as Audrey, who is urged in a letter from her late grandmother to team up with local private investigator Finn (Nolan Gerard Funk, another Hallmark regular who viewers will also recognize from Glee and Versace ads) to get the rings back to their original owners in the Christmassy town of Cold Spring, Minnesota. After completing the mission, will Finn then put a ring on Audrey’s finger? You’ll have to tune in to find out.
As you’re watching the mystery unravel, you’ll note local locations like Winnipeg City Hall, the streets of the Exchange District, and The Old House Revival Co. & Antique Mall where the ring mystery unfolds (don’t worry, there are no horses or VHS players in this ring mystery, but Old Rival’s unmissable British red telephone box makes an appearance). As always, lots of local talent in this one, including child actor Myla Volk, Angelica Venancio, Kristen Harris and Reena Jolly.
Hanukkah on the Rocks – Premieres on Friday, December 13
A follow-up of sorts to the Winnipeg-shot Hanukkah on Rye (find it in the 2022 guide), which turned the former Winnipeg Free Press café into a delicatessen. This time around, instead of rival delis playing against the romantic leads, this one involves a corporate lawyer (played by Stacey Farber) in Chicago (ahem, more like the Chicago of the North) who loses her job and is now on a quest of self-discovery.
The ‘on the rocks’ bit alludes to the bar the film mainly takes place in, which is actually Wee Johnny’s Pub in the East Exchange District. Most of the film’s other scenes were shot in and around Niverville.
Following Yonder Star – Premieres on Sunday, December 15
Winnipeg stands in for Vermont in this one, where the plot centres around some classic Hallmark staples. For love interests, how about a widowed astronomy teacher named Tom who runs a bed and breakfast (handsomely played by John Brotherton) meeting a television actress named Abby Marshall (Brooke D’Orsay), who has recently come back to Vermont after a scandal has derailed her career? Tom of course is also in charge of the local church’s Christmas pageant, while above the town a rare astronomical event—much like the Star of Bethlehem—is set to occur (‘star-crossed lovers?’ Not a chance! This star is shining for Tom and Abby!).
Much like the furthest galaxies and yonder-est stars, most of the Winnipeg locations for this one remain a mystery at the moment—namely because we can’t find a trailer for the film nor any locations via the actors’ Instagram accounts (which is how NASA does it, right?).
That said, our inside source has revealed that the Prota Clinic’s futuristic interior plays the Vermont 5-Star Resort; Hawthorne Estate in East Selkirk is the ballroom (interior) along and the Ranch for Wayward Girls (exterior); the local church is Broadway First Baptist Church; and Pineridge Hollow is a whole constellation of locations including Main Street, the community centre and the festive store, with Hildegard’s Bakery at Pineridge Hollow starring as itself. I hope the cast and crew all picked up focaccia and butter tarts from the latter, because Hildegard’s versions of both are truly out of this world.
Seasonal Hallmark films ready to stream
Hallmark of course doesn’t only do Christmas fare, and right now you can stream a few soon-to-be classics from 2024 that were filmed in and around the city.
The Summery film The Magic of Lemon Drops co-stars aforementioned locals like John B. Lowe and Stephanie Sy, along with Sydney Sabiston who was in last year’s guide a couple times. It features local locations Nonsuch Brewery, Nola restaurant in St. Boniface, and the iconic early 1960s setting of the Thunderbird Restaurant, which plays the pie shop called The Eatery.
Autumn at Apple Hill is obviously a fall feature, and most of it was shot in Steinbach where several restaurants including Chino’s Bistro and BIGG Smoak BBQ stood in for restaurants in Landover, Maine. The biggest Winnipeg part in the film goes to iconic 529 Wellington Steakhouse, which is where all the Inn scenes are, umm, in.
And finally, there’s Haunted Wedding a Halloween feature that came out on October 12. This one heavily features the historic circa-1910 Stovel House on Ruskin Row, with a plot that involves ghost hunters played by Janel Parrish and Dominic Sherwood who looked like they had lots of fun filming it here in Winnipeg. Locals Lauren Cochrane, John B. Lowe and Paul Essiembre all appear too, as does a ghost played by Cassandra Potenza. The writers and location scouts must have done their research on our city’s ghostly past, as in the words of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "Winnipeg stands very highly among the places we have visited for its great paranormal potential.”
Other Winnipeg haunts include the University Women’s Club of Winnipeg, a stately mansion that hosts interior scenes as Keystone Manor, the Demornay Home and the abandoned hospital; Bird’s Hill Park Ranch is the Demornay Home Field and the park itself is the where the country road scene was shot; The Palomino Club plays Liberty’s Son Microbrewery; and Saddlery on Market is Timeless Antiques.
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Looking for even more holiday movies filmed in Winnipeg? At the moment, the #2 film at the North American box office is The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, which co-stars comedian Pete Holmes and the always charming and hilarious Judy Greer, who made great use of her time in the city going to spots like the Journey to Churchill and Granite Curling Club. Filmed from December 2023 to January 2024, "in the magical town of Winnipeg" (bless your heart Judy!) this heartwarming adaptation of the 1972 novel by Barbara Robinson stands out with real snow that is used in a snowball fight scene outside of The Parish Church of Saint Luke in Osborne Village. The film's plot centres around incorporating a family of wild kids (those pesky Herdmans) into the annual Christmas performance. The film has opened to great reviews from both critics and audiences alike, and is now showing at cinemas across the city.
