Lights, Camera, Richmond!

Regularly described as Hollywood North, British Columbia has been a movie-making magnet for decades. But you don’t have to travel to the far-flung corners of our province to throw the spotlight on some cool locations that have guest starred in films and TV shows over the years.

Keen to plan a fun day out visiting easy-to-reach filming hot spots? Just head to Richmond, which has appeared in dozens of popular and lesser-known screen stories. Check out our two revealing Instagram Reels videos, then read-on for the lowdown on where to go! And if you’re a fan of TV hit “Once Upon a Time,” don’t miss our dedicated story on its multiple Steveston filming locations.

Gripping Dramas

In recent years, several dramatic TV series have taken advantage of our city’s diverse filming locations. Set in a small American town––where a young girl uncovers a cold case murder––one of the locations for 2020’s “Home Before Dark” is Richmond’s London Farm, a bucolic heritage site centered on a 19th-century wooden home.

Local heritage settings like this are often used for filming, especially if a yesteryear plotline is involved. Filmed here in 2022, “Pachinko” tells the powerful tale of discriminated-against Koreans living in Japan several decades ago. With its preserved boatsheds and residences, Steveston’s Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site proved a perfect backdrop for the story.

There are also lots of contemporary settings around the city that are utilized for filming. The 2023 action-thriller “The Night Agent” sees an FBI agent racing against the clock to find a government mole and save the US. The pursuit includes a visit to East Richmond’s scenic Shelter Island Marina and Boatyard, located on the South Arm of the Fraser River.

On the other side of the city, the Richmond Rod & Gun Club played host to 2022’s “Alaska Daily.” The show stars Hilary Swank as a once high-flying yet recently disgraced journalist who relocates from New York to Anchorage––and soon finds herself reporting on a surfeit of missing and murdered women.

The drama is tinged with comedy in 2023’s “Lucky Hank,” where an English department head at a small US college navigates his way through a midlife crisis. Part of that process involves a visit to Richmond’s much-loved Gateway Theatre, which was used for filming some of the scenes in the show.

Action Stations

Richmond––and especially Steveston––has also played host to some big-budget action shoots over the past decade. Starring Bryan Cranston and Elizabeth Banks, 2017’s blockbuster “Power Rangers” movie saw the colour-coded young warriors tackling a fearsome enemy at settings including the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site.

Steveston is also the backdrop for some tail-swishing action in the hit 2014 movie “Godzilla,” complete with another appearance by Cranston plus Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins and a certain 100-metre-tall critter with an attitude problem. The movie’s local filming locations included the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre on Moncton Street.

More recently, 2023 action-thriller “The Mother” employed locations across the region for its story of a US Army operative––played by Jennifer Lopez––attempting to rescue her teenage daughter from kidnappers. The movie wasn’t a huge hit, but film fans can still check out one of the local locations for the shoot: the Thompson Community Centre on Granville Avenue.

Horror Stories

Fright fans can also send shivers down their spines at several Richmond locations that have appeared in horror-themed movies and TV shows. Steveston’s charming Fisherman’s Wharf doesn’t look scary. But it serves as a spooky backdrop in 2020’s “The Stand,” a Stephen King miniseries set in a world almost completely destroyed by a Biblical-style plague.

Sidestep the pestilence at nearby Garry Point Park, which was used as a shoreline filming location for 2021 miniseries “Midnight Mass.” The supernatural gothic horror centers on the arrival of a strange priest at a devout island-based community. Close your eyes and imagine the horror––or just enjoy the park’s scenic vistas and abundant bird-spotting opportunities.

The chills continue on the other side of Steveston at Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site, which plays a key supporting artist role in the multi-series supernatural shocker “The Terror.” The deeply evocative heritage site was utilized for a story set in a World War Two Japanese-American internment camp.

Christmas Bonus

But it’s not all thrills and chills when it comes to visiting Richmond’s fun-tastic filming locations. Consider wearing your favourite holiday sweater for a festive-forward visit to Aberdeen Centre––especially if you love 2021’s heartwarming musical drama, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas.” Check out the movie’s trailer before you go for a glimpse of the mall in all its glittering Christmastime glory.

Last Updated on November 19, 2024 by Tourism Richmond