HALIFAX: Nova Scotia’s film industry has another success story, with Cape Breton-shot Little Lorraine filling local theatres and now playing across the country.
The feature-length crime drama sold out all but one of its screenings during its red-carpet opening weekend in Sydney April 17-19, which followed a successful festival run across Canada and the United States.
The film, about three Cape Breton coal miners who transition to lobster fishing and become entangled in drug smuggling, marks the directorial feature film debut of Nova Scotia‑born filmmaker Andy Hines.
“I couldn’t be more proud of my friend, Andy Hines, who captured Cape Breton Island in all its beauty. The story, the characters, and the spirit of Little Lorraine are why supporting our Nova Scotian filmmakers is so important to me,” said Premier Tim Houston.
“I’m thankful to people like Andy who are committed to building up the film industry here in Nova Scotia.”
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The Premier visited the set while the film was in production. It filmed mainly in Sydney and Louisbourg.
The production was the first to benefit from the Province’s Distant Location Incentive, launched in 2024 to encourage filming in rural and remote areas. The incentive is part of the Nova Scotia Film & Television Production Incentive Fund.
Provincial funding for Little Lorraine totalled more than $850,000. Telefilm Canada invested $250,000 in post-production funding, as well as additional support through its Telefilm Marketing Program.
Producers Tim Doiron, James van der Woerd and Vanessa Amodeo with Wango Films of Hamilton, along with Michael Volpe of Halifax’s Topsail Entertainment, say they plan to return to Nova Scotia for a future project.
Quotes:
“It has been beautiful and overwhelming seeing the theatrical success and impact of my debut film. This reception has further deepened my passion for telling Maritime stories and folklore through a genre I call Easterns. W
“ithout the Distant Location Incentive, Screen Nova Scotia and the support of the community, this film would not have been possible to make in Cape Breton.”
— Andy Hines, writer and director, Little Lorraine
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“Little Lorraine is a powerful example of what’s possible when Nova Scotians come together to tell a Nova Scotia story.
“Inspired by the song of a Nova Scotia musician and brought to life by homegrown talent, local producers, performers and crews, it delivers the kind of authentic storytelling that will resonate with audiences here at home and well beyond our shores.
“It also reflects the impact of provincial support that helps local stories get made in communities across the province.”
— Laura Mackenzie, Executive Director, Screen Nova Scotia
Quick Facts:
– the Cape Breton opening weekend festivities included Keep The Light On: A Cape Breton Community Celebration hosted by Little Lorraine and supported by Telefilm Canada, with performances by The Men of the Deeps, Uncle Hector Baldwin, Amy Smith and Nova Scotia musician Adam Baldwin, whose song Lighthouse in Little Lorraine inspired the film
– at the 2025 Atlantic International Film Festival, Little Lorraine won the Michael Weir Award for Best Atlantic Screenwriter (Andy Hines, Adam Baldwin) and the David Renton Award for Outstanding Performance in Acting (Stephen McHattie)
– more than 4,000 tickets were sold in Cape Breton in the first week, and the film continues to sell out in theatres
– the filmis currently playing in Cineplex theatres across Canada
– the cast includes Stephen Amell, Auden Thornton, Sean Astin, Stephen McHattie, Matt Walsh, Rhys Darby, Stephen Lund, Joshua Close, Hugh Thompson, Kaelen Ohm and global music icon J Balvin
