Need a movie fix? Stream this new Arizona-made film
From the breathtaking, sweeping landscapes of the Sonoran Desert to the luscious forests of northern Arizona, the state provides a beautiful backdrop for any occasion — especially a film.
The new movie “Sweet Sunshine“was not only filmed in Arizona, but a good portion of its cast and crew are natives of the state.
“Sweet Sunshine” premiered in Arizona at the RoadHouse Cinema in Scottsdale on March 13. It will be available to stream on Amazon Prime Video starting Friday, March 20.
The romantic musical follows singer and songwriter TJ Millhouse, who encounters tragedy during his rise to fame. His life shifts paths when he encounters a gifted singer named Sunshine, who has a very different life from him, but a similar amount of talent.
“Sweet Sunshine” features a soundtrack of country-pop songs performed by lead actors John Way and Savanah McMahon, who both once called Arizona home. The idea for “Sweet Sunshine” came from McMahon and her father, Craig McMahon, who wanted to produce a film using the resources of their home state.
With McMahon’s familial ties to filmmakers — her father founded Inspiriter Films, which focuses on uplifting material — and Way’s success as an actor in New York, the project came together.
“We realized we’re surrounded in Arizona by very talented people, so we thought it would all be a great production if all of us came together and cre
ated something beautiful,” Savanah McMahon said.
Showing off Arizona scenery, talent
Way’s accomplishments as an actor in New York include several national awards for his work in Shakespeare productions, as well as a guest-starring role in the Amazon Prime series “Romanoffs.”
When he was asked to play TJ, the actor jumped at the opportunity to work in a state he lived in for eight years.
“I think Arizona is one of the most beautiful states in the continental U.S. The landscape just commands this kind of reverence,” Way said. “Being able to shoot this film was almost like a minivacation. I’m always looking for opportunities to go back home.”
Way and McMahon have been friends since meeting in the choir program at Saguaro High School in Scottsdale and working together on the school’s production of “Grease.”
“Back in high school, I thought Savanah was the cat’s meow, and certainly when I started I was a dorky freshman,” Way said. “So to think just over a decade later, something like that would be possible is nothing short of a miracle.”
The two took separate paths after high school, but they reunited to film “Sweet Sunshine” after McMahon reached out to him to play TJ. When they met again to play lovers in the film, their natural friendship helped foster a genuine performance.
“Being friends and having that level of comfort with someone on set really makes it easy for the love interest part of it to kind of blossom, I felt very comfortable around John,” McMahon said.
She said the movie takes advantage of the vast array of landscapes Arizona offers.
“You see the entire spectrum of what Arizona has to offer all in one film. There’s a few scenes with mountains in the background and the Sonoran Desert, which is so beautiful in and of itself,” McMahon said. “Then you see a juxtaposition because you go from the desert to up north, and you see the night forest up in Heber.”
Getting the confidence to sing
The songs in the movie are almost as