Story about high-profile U.S. child custody battle and other projects that filmed in Hamilton this month
A production about a high-profile child custody case that touched two continents filmed in Hamilton this month.
Stolen Hearts: The Lizbeth Meredith Story" stars Sarah Drew (Dr. April Kepner in Grey's Anatomy") and is about an American woman who spent two years trying to get her two young daughters back to the United States after her ex-husband fled with them to Greece in 1994. She visited Greece and The White House as part of her efforts to reunite with her daughters.
The Lifetime/Cineflix Media movie set up camp in Dundas during the second week of the month. It filmed on Melville Street, between Matilda Street and just a little past Market Street, near St. James Anglican Church (which was used for crew parking and a lunchroom). It appears to have also filmed at Dyment's Country Bakery and Farm Market in Flamborough that week.
The production then moved to the Scottish Rite at the end of the week, but returned to Dundas on Dec. 15 to again film on Melville Street. It shot night scenes in a home on Melville, near Albert Street.
Meredith, a former juvenile probation officer and journalist, wrote a book about her experiences called Pieces of Me: Rescuing my Kidnapped Daughters." It came out in 2014. The former Anchorage, Alaska, resident now lives in Tennessee.
Drew has struck a two-picture deal with Lifetime in addition to Stolen Hearts." A Lifetime release said it will be for the network's annual Christmas movie slate. Drew is currently developing a film called Reindeer Games."
It is about a fading Hollywood star who returns to his hometown after a breakup and begrudgingly gets roped into the town's annual holiday celebration. He falls in love with a former classmate who he ignored in high school. Cameras for the production might roll in Hamilton. Stolen Hearts" is set to premiere in the spring of 2022.
The crossroads of the North End was the scene of two film shoots this month.
In the former Bank of Nova Scotia at James Street North and Burlington Street East, an episode for Guillermo del Toro Presents 12 After Midnight" was being shot the week before Christmas.
Across the street at Grandad's Donuts, the sci-fi comedy Relax, I'm from the Future" was filming a scene.
12 After Midnight" has been shooting all over Hamilton. The horror anthology show will debut on Netflix next year.
A sign attached to the door at the former bank said East Suburban Bank - Invest in Yourself." Vehicles for the show were in the bank parking lot and spread along Guise Street.
It was the biggest production I've seen here," said neighbour John Price. He said trees were planted around the building and fake snow was scattered on the grass.
They filmed night and day," said Price. They put a lot of work into it. I can't imagine the money they spent on it."
The building ceased to be a bank a few years ago. A nine-storey, 55-unit residential building is proposed for the site.
Two TV shows that filmed locally are set to hit the small screen Jan. 5.
Run The Burbs" premieres on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem. It stars former Kim's Convenience" regular Andrew Phung. He plays Andrew Pham, a stay-at-home dad who has two children and a wife who is an entrepreneur. It filmed this fall on Leadale Place on the west Mountain and at other Hamilton locales.
Good Sam" is a medical drama that premieres Wednesday at 10 p.m. on Global and CBS. Sophia Bush (Chicago P.D.") plays Dr. Sam Griffith, a surgeon at Lakeshore Sentinel Hospital. She has to take over from her father, Dr. Rob Griffith (Jason Isaacs from Star Trek: Discovery") when he falls ill. Fireworks happen when he returns and has to work under his daughter.
Good Sam" filmed in Oakville. The show also features Hamilton's Wendy Crewson, who plays hospital medical director Dr. Vivian Katz.
Daniel Nolan is a freelance writer who writes about film for The Hamilton Spectator. He can be reached at dannolanwrites@gmail.com