Production is underway in Queensland on the first Steve Jaggi Company project of the year, with Rhiannon Bannenberg’s Mistletoe Ranch shooting across Brisbane, the Gold Coast and surrounds.
The romance stars Mercy Cornwall as Aimée Tremblay, a budding professional photographer who follows her boss, renowned photographer Gustav, around the world.
When Aimée receives a mailbag full of letters informing her that her late mother’s adored annual Christmas celebration has been cancelled, she returns to Mistletoe Ranch, left to her by her cherished mother, to find out why the party is no longer going ahead.
After her mother’s passing, Aimée left her family home and her heartbroken ex-fiancé, James Hunt (Jordi Webber), on Christmas Eve and hasn’t returned for seven years. The now quiet ranch, which she discovers is encountering financial difficulties, has been left in the hands of James, who lives there with his young daughter, Juniper (Molly Wright), and retired caretaker Charlie (Charles Allen). At first, James doesn’t welcome Aimée’s arrival, but it’s not long before sparks begin to fly again between the high-school sweethearts.
The cast also includes Andrea Moor and Kimberley Joseph (Lost).
Mistletoe Ranch is written by Claire Harris and produced by Steve Jaggi, with Kylie Pascoe and Kelly Son Hing co-producing. Athabasca Film will manage the domestic theatrical release, while international sales and distribution will be handled by Blue Fox Entertainment.
The film was supported by the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland’s Screen Finance Program and will inject approximately $2.6 million into the local economy and employ an estimated 70 Queensland cast and crew. Financial support also comes from Empire Media Global and Asia Pacific Film Investment Group.
The film follows other Steve Jaggi Company romances You, Me and the Penguins and Love in Bloom which shot in the state last year, along with teen drama The Mystery of Dolphin Bay.
Jaggi said he wanted to keep the momentum going into 2022.
“After a busy 2021, it feels fantastic to be back in production on our next feature film, Mistletoe Ranch,” he said.
“We’ve assembled a talented cast and crew, and some beautiful equine friends to help bring this hopeful story to life.”
Bannenberg, who previously directed Jaggi’s Dive Club, said Mistletoe Ranch was a “charming love story” that set the stage for an authentic reconnection that “many in the audience dream of”.
“I’m excited to be shooting Mistletoe Ranch here in Queensland, using movie magic to create a landscape blanketed in snow,” she said.
“Mistletoe Ranch is a heart-warming ode to enduring love and being true to yourself.”