Crown Media Moriah's Lighthouse
The Hallmark Channel’s newest movie, “Moriah’s Lighthouse,” premieres on Saturday, June 18, at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central. The movie stars Rachelle Lefevre and Luke Macfarlane. Here are all the details you need to know about where the movie was filmed, the cast involved, and behind-the-scenes stories.
‘Moriah’s Lighthouse’ Was Filmed in France
Here’s one of Hallmark’s synopses for the movie: “Moriah is a woodworking artisan living in a French seaside town who dreams of restoring a local lighthouse. But Ben, an American architect who comes to town may derail her plans.”
The movie was filmed on location in France, even though the original story was set in Canada.
Serena B. Miller, author of Moriah’s Lighthouse, said in her blog “Even though my story was set on an island in Canada, I trust that the producers have good reasons for wanting to move the movie to France. I ask if I can be on set to watch the filming of the movie so I can blog about it. Hallmark agrees, and dates are set.”
She also mentioned that COVID had an impact on when the movie started getting into motion. On her blog, she wrote about the long journey of having a movie made from book to screen, and how exciting yet terrifying it can get. She depicted everything from packing to staying at an Airbnb not knowing French, and with a hostess that doesn’t speak English. The story she shares really is quite entertaining!
Courtsey of Derek MillerWriter Serena B. Miller with her son Derek
The movie was filmed in the region of Castel Beau in Ploumanac’h, France. The lighthouse is just a short car ride away and, according to Miller’s blog, it was originally built in 1860. But during World War II, the Germans destroyed it. In 1946, this more modern lighthouse was rebuilt and this is the one that is showcased in the movie!
Despite being in a beautiful location, the cast and team of the movie were met with some difficult weather conditions, especially while filming outside.
Miller wrote “The wind is whipping her hair around like crazy, it is freezing cold, and overcast and I am miserable even though I’m wearing layers and a coat. In between takes, the crew put heavy coats on the three actors, trying to keep them as warm as possible. When the cameras and cast are all in position again, the coats come off, and dressed as though for a warm, spring day, they all go into acting mode again.”
Serena B. Miller\’s blog (courtesy of Derek Miller)The Lighthouse and the Lightkeeper’s house
In a video from Miller and actor Serge Dupire, the author and character share that Dupire was just as Miller expected.
“I am really glad to meet my creator,” Dupire joked.
In the author’s blog, there are a multitude of behind-the-scenes pictures and videos. It really is worth a read if you want a complete recounting of what happened from the author herself.
Courtesy of Serena B. Miller\’s blogBehind the scenes, provided by Serena B. Miller
In 2015, Ploumanac’h (meaning “monk’s pool” in Breton) was voted “the village most preferred by the French.” It is a village port in a natural harbor, so it makes sense to have chosen this location.
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The lighthouse itself is called The Ploumanac’h Lighthouse and offers a direct view of Château de Costaérès, l’île Renote and Jentilez.
Miller participated in a live Q&A on a Hallmark Facebook group, where she answered many additional questions about filming the movie.
She wrote about the lighthouse, “The executive producer, Leif Bristow, and his wife, Agnes, drove over 3200 miles along the coast of France checking out every last lighthouse. This was the one they chose. I thought it was absolutely perfect. I can’t wait for viewers to see the soaring pictures from the drone. Incredibly beautiful.”
She also wrote that her favorite part of the movie is a moment when Moriah is frantically trying to get the lighthouse on. That scene “gave me chills,” she shared.
When asked if any changes were made to the script versus her book, she wrote: “Yes, mainly because of the decision to film it in France, and because so much of my book simply didn’t fit into the allotted time slot. However, I was given the script to read before they started filming, and I approved. I felt it was well-written.”
Meet the Cast
Crown Media’s synopsis of the movie reads: “Moriah (Lefevre) is a talented woodworking artisan who carefully crafts beautiful creations for her clients in the beautiful, a beautiful French island town where her family has lived for generations. She dreams of one day being able to purchase the lighthouse keeper’s residence that had been home for years before being decommissioned and plans to use her skills to lovingly restore it to its full beauty. Ben (Macfarlane), an American architect who checks in to her aunt’s hotel for the summer, may be the fly in the ointment – Moriah is shocked and saddened to learn Ben has been hired to design a new home for the new owner. But the purchaser has an unexpected connection to the island as well as Moriah’s aunt, which may lead to more surprises for Moriah as the summer unfolds.”
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Rachelle Lefevre (the “Twilight” saga) plays Moriah. While her character is French in the movie, she actually is from Montréal, Québec, in Canada and speaks French Canadian. In an Instagram post, she depicted how real the jet lag is from traveling this far for a movie.
In this next Instagram post, she got back to people who made fun of her for wearing only black and looking like she was in uniform all the time. She managed to keep her packing for her big trip to France so small:
During a live Q&A, Miller shared that Lefevre was delightful to work with.
She wrote: “I had seen Rachelle in the original ‘Twilight,’ playing Victoria, an especially scary vampire. It was fascinating to watch her transform herself into a wholesome French artisan. My favorite moment with her was when after performing a scene over and over in absolutely freezing, and windy weather, she threw both hands in the air and shouted, ‘I LOVE MY JOB!’ All the rest of us were wearing coats and gloves, and stamping our feet and she was wearing spring like clothing. The crew was putting her coat on her in between takes. I asked her about it later and said, ‘what do you love about it!’ She said, ‘because I’m grateful I get to work at something I love when so many others don’t.'”
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Luke Macfarlane (“Killjoys,” “Brothers & Sisters”) plays Ben. Originally from Canada, on June 12, 2018, he was naturalized as an American citizen.
He shared a picture on Instagram displaying how the weather was overcast while filming.
Miller said in a live Q&A about working with Macfarlane: “Luke is just a sweetheart to work with. So kind. He just seemed happy to be there, working, and made everyone around him feel comfortable–including me. He plays the part of a rather clueless (at first) American architect and he nailed it. I had to fight not to laugh outloud during the filming at some of his great lines.”
Macfarlane is a woodworker in real-life. Miller shared that there were times he would ad-lib some lines because of his personal knowledge.
Miller wrote, “He told me that his grandfather was a cabinet maker in Canada and had taught him the skill, which he’d added to with more woodworking classes here in the states.”
The movie is directed by Stefan Scaini (“Degrassi: Next Generation”) and also stars Valeria Cavalli, Serge Dupire, Duncan Talhouet, Caroline Marcos, Jerry Di Giacomo, Catherine Hubeau, and Régis Péjus.
You can purchase and read the first book of Miller’s Moriah’s Lighthouse on Amazon.
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