ESTEVAN - Jeremy Drummond and Jessica Watch are thrilled with the finished product for A Cowboy Christmas, their made-in-Saskatchewan movie.
Estevan's Orpheum Theatre hosted the Canadian premiere of the western-romance flick on Friday night. Drummond, who was the director of the movie, and Watch, who was the producer, were in Estevan for the screening and participated in a question-and-answer session after the closing credits.
The movie was filmed and set in Maple Creek, and a special showing was held in the small town in October, but this was billed as the Canadian premiere.
Watch said they were looking for a theatre where they could debut the movie, and the Orpheum reached out to them, saying they had an opening.
"Jocelyn [Dougherty, who owns the theatre with her husband Alan] has been so wonderful at opening her arms to us and giving us this opportunity that we never thought we would have," said Watch.
A Cowboy Christmas tells the story of Ella Wade, an ambitious marketing executive at a New York firm whose latest assignment is a remote ranch near Maple Creek. Her plans shift when she meets Cole Reesor, the ranch owner.
The movie was filmed in 12 days in late February and early March in southwest Saskatchewan. A lot of the movie is set at Historic Reesor Ranch south of the town. They also used Maple Creek's Main Street, some of the businesses and its park.
Everybody in the town and at the ranch was eager to work with them.
"We needed a town. We needed a ranch. Everything was there and everybody wanted to do it. So that really made us want to go there, and just made us so happy to be there," said Watch.
The town, which promotes its western heritage, also had the right look.
"In rural Canada and Saskatchewan small towns, a lot of them have lost their Main Street, and Maple Creek's is absolutely in tact. It's postcard perfect. A lot of the businesses have been there for decades," said Watch.
All of the actors in A Cowboy Christmas are from Canada, and the majority are from Saskatchewan. The mayor of Maple Creek makes a cameo appearance and all of the extras are from the town.
A total of 742 individual shots are in the movie, which also showcases the scenery of the Maple Creek area.
As for the Orpheum, Watch and Drummond came away marvelling at the theatre because they don't see many venues like it any longer. They loved watching the crowd view the movie.
"I haven't been to an older theatre in a very long time," said Watch. "It was so refreshing to come down here and see something in such impeccable shape, give you that old-school feeling of being at the movies and having the posters up and everybody being together."
"They've torn most of these down across the country and put up the multiplexes and everything, and that has its own vibe, but you can't really recreate this," added Drummond.
Everyone was so happy to have them in Estevan that it has made it easier to be here and talk to people, Watch said, and she was pleased that everyone was eager to hear what they had to say.
"I can't believe there was so many questions," said Drummond.
During their visit to the southeast, they toured the region and came away particularly impressed with the Roche Percee area. Drummond said it could be a good site for a romance or even a thriller movie.
A Cowboy Christmas is expected to be broadcasted in Canada in time for Christmas 2024 on a number of different platforms. It has already aired in the U.S.
Both expressed their gratitude to Creative Saskatchewan for providing funding for the project. The film industry has bounced back in the past year and a half thanks to support from the government, and Watch said it is great to be able to make movies throughout the year.
"We just want to communicate that this time around, so that everyone understands how much work, how much employment, how much impact it has," said Drummond.
