HALIFAX -- A New Brunswick filmmaker is behind one of Hallmark Channel's iconic holiday films, which premiered in November. Making the transition from indie-thriller films, the director's drama for the legendary brand is a heartwarming Christmas creation sure to delight.
A Christmas Tree Grows in Colorado debuted during the American Thanksgiving. However, unlike the title suggests, the movie was filmed in Hope, B.C., with Jason Bourque, a Quispamsis, N.B., native in the director's chair.
Frequently involved in the indie-thriller scene, Bourque was excited to join the Hallmark family and add his personal touch to one of its many magical movies.
"Being from New Brunswick, one of my first indie thrillers was based on Noel Winters, who was a serial killer on the Kingston peninsula," says Bourque. "I basically work in the indie trenches doing a lot of telefilm movies, a lot of thrillers, a lot of sci-fi movies.
In 2019, Bourque was offered the opportunity to work with Hallmark for the film Amazing Winter Romance, which debuted in February. Following his first film for the brand, he was invited back to create another.
Shot in Hope during a heatwave and a pandemic, the project wasn't without its challenges. Despite facing adversity, A Christmas Tree Grows in Colorado arrived just in time for the holidays.
Jason Bourque on set of A Christmas Tree Grows in Colorado
"I'm very happy to be part of the Hallmark family and to have this opportunity to make movies, especially now where I think people in some ways need to watch," says Bourque. "It's nice watching something that has core family values. This one had a lot of diversity; all the leads were people of colour. It was a wonderful, very inclusive type of storyline."
Cast of A Christmas Tree Grows in Colorado (Courtesy Hallmark Channel)
Proud of his project, Bourque discovered the film appeared on a popular best-of list for 2020 Christmas movie releases.
"Vanity Fair has voted A Christmas Tree Grows in Colorado one of the top Christmas movies, and that's from Netflix to Lifetime and Hallmark," says Bourque. "So, we made the Vanity Fair list, which I thought was a wonderful feather in the cap for crew and cast."
Meanwhile, despite living and working in B.C. and receiving attention from American audiences, Bourque says he remains a Maritimer at heart.
