Canadian actress Natalie Brown returns to northern Ontario as new film premieres at Cinéfest

It's a bit of a homecoming for Timmins-born and raised actress, Natalie Brown, as she travels north to attend the world premiere of her new film, 'Home Free,' being screened at Sudbury's international film festival, Cinéfest.

Brown has had lead roles in TV productions like Sophie and The Strain, as well as dozens of other appearances in well known TV series, including the popular, Schitt's Creek. She's also done dozens of films, including a couple of Hallmark movies shot in Sudbury, like 2013's Be My Valentine with Billy Baldwin, and 2016's For Love and Honor, co-starring James Denton from "Desperate Housewives." 

"The Hallmark movies are fun.They are endearing stories and people gravitate to them because it's a complicated world and sometimes we just want something that touches the heart," said Brown.

She describes it as a different acting challenge from working on thrillers or horror.

"I've worked a lot in the horror space, having been on Guillermo del Toro's The Strain, and those films can be difficult with the subject matter and so on. You have to go to some deep dark places. With a Hallmark film, you might have to shed a tear, but for the most part it's light and sweet and really fun to work on."

Brown says she has loved filming in northern Ontario, and still has family and friends in the area. Her last visit to Sudbury to see family was in 2021.

Her latest film, however, might require those family members and friends to bring some tissues, as Brown says it could produce a few tears.

"It's a beautiful, heartwarming family drama about a mother and father celebrating an anniversary, but they have news to share. They bring their three daughters who have been estranged back to their home, and they need to, I think, make peace with their past, and peace with each other," said Brown.

As an independent film, Home Free did not have a big production budget, and used cast member Michelle Nolden's farmhouse outside Paris, Ont., as the set for much of the shooting. Brown calls it a passion project for all who were involved.

"On this shoot, we all had lunch together, we were all very much a part of each other's process. We were doing hair and makeup in the garage, which also became the lunchroom, and wardrobe was set up in a hockey equipment room in the basement," Brown said.

"We were also in the rooms with the set designers when they were deciding on things. I think the bonding that we experienced making the film really translates on screen."  

While she's excited for this film to be screened at Cinéfest, Brown is also busy with other projects, having just signed on to do a film about the crash of Swissair flight 111 in 1998 in Peggy's Cove outside Halifax.

As well, she has performed in and co-produced a short film called Home that is currently in a competition called CBC Short Film Face-Off on the streaming service, CBC Gem. It's being judged starting next week, and the top prize is $30,000.

"It never rains, but it pours. It's feast or famine in this business," she said.

"Fingers crossed, and everything crossed, we'll be raising a drink at the Boston Pizza in Sudbury after the movie."