Production begins on Still Life movie for CBC

From a media release:

START OF PRODUCTION ON STILL LIFE FOR CBC TELEVISION

• Based on Internationally-renowned Canadian Author Louise Penny’s Award-winning Crime Novel

PDM Entertainment and Attraction Images (formerly Cirrus Communications) in association with CBC announced today that principal photography has begun on Still Life, a two-hour TV movie for CBC, based on the first of best-selling author Louise Penny’s multi-award-winning crime novels.

Shooting for Still Life will take place throughout the month of October, primarily in Quebec’s Eastern Townships. The spectacular landscape of the Eastern Townships is home to the serene and picturesque setting of Three Pines, the fictional Canadian village where the story is set.

The movie stars Nathaniel Parker (Vanity Fair, Far from the Madding Crowd, Merlin) as charismatic Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec, Anthony Lemke (The Listener, Les Hauts et les bas de Sophie Paquin) as Inspector Jean-Guy Beauvoir and Kate Hewlett (Stargate Atlantis, The L.A. Complex) as Clara Morrow, the victim’s grieving friend. Gabriel Hogan (King, Heartland) also stars as Clara’s husband Peter Morrow.

Louise Penny’s award-winning Inspector Gamache books continue to top best-selling charts around the world and have been translated into 23 languages. Her debut novel, Still Life, won her U.K.’s Creasey Dagger Award, the Arthur Ellis Award in Canada, and the Anthony, Barry and Dilys Awards in the U.S. Still Life has been named by Deadly Pleasures Magazine in the U.S. as one of the top five crime novels of the decade.

“I turned down every offer to option Still Life for many years, but when this production team approached, and we discussed their vision of the film, I knew this book that means so much to me would be in wonderful hands”, says Louise Penny. “I love the casting and am so excited to see Three Pines come alive. I have to admit, it’s nerve-wracking, but thrilling.”

It’s Thanksgiving Sunday and the village of Three Pines, a refuge from the fast-paced modern world, appears as tranquil as ever. But not for long. This peaceful Eden is about to be disturbed by the discovery that Jane Neal, a much-loved retired schoolteacher, lies dead in the woods. The villagers are certain it’s nothing more than a tragic hunting accident but Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec suspects something rancid lies beneath the idyllic surface of the community. As Gamache and Beauvoir dig, they uncover layers of deceit, rage and resentments long simmering. Armand Gamache knows something dark is buried in this pretty village and if they dig deep enough, Three Pines will begin to give up its secrets and a murderer will be exposed.

Internationally-acclaimed screenwriter Wayne Grigsby (Trudeau, October 1970), recipient of Canada’s highest screenwriting honour, the Margaret Collier Award, and winner of the prestigious BAFTA Award, adapted Penny’s first novel, Still Life, for the screen.

Peter Moss (Booky Makes Her Mark, St. Urbain’s Horseman) takes on both Director and Executive Producer roles. Phyllis Platt (Race to Mars, Booky and the Secret Santa) and Brian Dennis (Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, The Border) also serve as Executive Producer and Producer respectively for PDM Entertainment. Josée Vallée (Naked Josh, Sticks and Stones) and Daniel Vermette are Executive Producer and Producer for Attraction Images. Louise Penny also acts as Executive Producer. Sally Catto is Executive Director, Scripted and Commissioned Programming for CBC TV.

Still Life is produced by PDM Entertainment and Attraction Images in association with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and with the participation of the Canadian Media Fund, and distributed in the U.S. and internationally by Content Media Corporation.