Hinterland turned into winter wonderland
MOVIE magic and “a lot of heart” turned the Gold Coast Hinterland into a winter wonderland in the thick of summer for a feel-good Christmas flick premiering this week.
Mount Tamborine served as a key backdrop for Mistletoe Ranch, a tender tale of love rediscovered in time for Christmas.
Director Rhiannon Bannenberg says keen-eyed locals may still recognise the region’s charming landmarks coated in powdery fake snow.
“We were looking for landscapes and houses and stables that looked American and it just so has it that around the Gold Coast Hinterland there are some really great spots that do,” she said.
The screenplay demanded a homestead and a stable – the eponymous ranch – which were staged in a private Tamborine homestead and at Alsace Polo Club in Veresdale Scrub.
“That was an amazing location (Alsace),” Ms Bannenberg said.
“They were such great hosts and really generous. The whole community was great up there. “We had a great time filming.”
Other sets included Tamborine Gardens Wedding and Function Resort as a church, and a pine forest on a property in Wongawallan. TAFE in Coomera was also staged for filming.
But their biggest challenge, Ms
Bannenberg said, was filming for 15 days in sweltering February heat – “the antithesis of the climate we were creating”.
“If anyone is going to play make believe and pull it off it’s film production,” she said.
“We’re always creating a world from scratch.”
It took a combination of “practical snow” and visual effects, as well as the talents of the cast and Queensland production crew to sell the illusion of an American Christmas to audiences.
“The thing about filming is the audience never see past the end of the screen, and what you see on
screen counts,” Ms Bannenberg said.
“That’s the real thrill of it, that just to the left (off-camera) is a gumtree. But you would never believe it.”
Mistletoe Ranch stars Mercy Cornwall as Aimée Tremblay, a professional photographer who returns to her hometown of Snowy Oak after learning her ex-fiance James Hunt (Jordi Webber) has cancelled the town’s Christmas celebrations.
Upon returning home to restore the festive spirit, Aimée finds her family property Mistletoe Ranch in trouble.
While she considers her options – save the property or move on with her career – Aimée reconnects with her home and her lost love.
While the director admits the film could have been just like the many Christmas romances that came before, her lead actors brought “heart and subtlety” to their roles.
“There’s plenty of Christmas films around, but this one’s quite special,” she said.
“In a Christmas romance film where we’ve already seen most of everything before, there’s something a little different about Mistletoe Ranch, a little more genuine and authentic.
“And a lot of that comes from Mercy and Jordi.”
What also adds to the film’s magic, Ms Bannenberg said, is young Gold Coast talent Molly Wright.
Molly shot to fame in 2021, when she – at age 7 – became the youngest person to host a TED talk. In Mistletoe Ranch, she plays James’ daughter Juniper.
The director sang praise for the “incredibly talented young woman”, and said her youngest cast member brought a unique “energy” to set.
“It’s that thing with Christmas that when there are kids present there’s a very different feeling to it. And that’s what Molly did to it,” Ms Bannenberg said
■ Mistletoe Ranch premieres in select cinemas across Australia on Thursday.