by Dov Kornits
“Despite all of the challenges of this year, it has been a busy period for our team and we’re thrilled to be in production on The Dog Days of Christmas. The Gold Coast’s fantastic facilities are providing the perfect setting to bring to life a wintery Vermont Christmas,” says producer Steve Jaggi, whose team on the film includes fellow producers Kelly Son Hing and Spencer McLaren, Kylie Pascoe co-producing and Executive Producers Julianna Hays, Larry Grimaldi, Hannah Pillemer and Fernando Szew.
According to the press release, The Dog Days of Christmas is about aid worker Annie Blake, who devotes her life to helping people in need, ‘in fact she made it her job in the “Helping Hand” organisation. After finishing a mission in Nepal, she decides to spend Christmas holidays in her family’s hometown in North Haven, Vermont, where she hasn’t been since her mother passed away three years ago. Upon arriving in the small town, Annie finds a flyer from the local animal shelter looking for foster carers and she excitedly heads to the shelter to sign up. But the shelter has since closed, and all the animals moved to the local vet’s surgery where Dylan – the local vet and Annie’s old school nemesis – has collected a ragtag bunch of animals looking for homes. Determined to save the shelter and find homes for the animals, Annie enlists her family, Dylan, and the entire community, to create a Christmas that nobody will ever forget.”
Sounds like a universal Christmas movie concept, with Warner Bros. Movie World transformed into Christmas in Vermont.
Directing is Tori Garrett, who has built an impressive resume of episodic TV work – Wentworth, Hiding, Wonderland, Doctor Doctor, Secret Bridesmaids Business, Slide, The Time of Our Lives, Mustangs FC – and made her feature debut in 2017 with the hard hitting Don’t Tell starring Rachel Griffiths, Jack Thompson, Sara West and Aden Young. The screenplay is by American Holly Hester (The Drew Carey Show, Sabrina the Teenage Witch).
Leading the cast is Georgina Flood (American Princess, Anzac Girls, Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted to You, Wentworth, Home & Away, House Husbands, Tangle, Here Come the Habibs) and 2018 Heath Ledger Scholarship finalist, Ezekiel Simat (Lambs of God, upcoming in Back to the Rafters.
“It has been wonderful to be able to work right now,” said Flood. “The cast and crew are a fantastic bunch of talented legends. We have been having a lot of fun with our canine buddies too. Together we are bringing this uplifting story to life from the mountains of Queensland and Movie World. I hope audiences and animal lovers enjoy. Hilarity heals.”
