Film locations

Montréal's nature parks... where shooting is a breeze

Located just one hour by air from New York, Boston and Toronto, Montréal has become a preferred film location over the past few years.

Montréal's nature parks, which lie in forested areas bordering a river or lake some 30 minutes from downtown, represent the largest urban nature preservation system in Quebec, with 1,300 hectares of natural sites available for use by the film and television industries.

MacDougall Manor: The Great Gatsby would have felt quite comfortable in this magnificent Georgian-style manor house, located at the heart of an 11,000 m2 forest park along the Des Prairies River. Used exclusively for film shoots.

Lakes, marshes, ponds

Whether you're looking for sandy beaches, forests, country roads or traditional farms surrounded by cultivated fields, lakes and small creeks, rivers and streams or marshland and swamps... your search ends here.

Forests, fields, roads

Take windy pathways, wooden walkways and country roads through woodlands, fields and valleys.

Manor, homes, ruins

The nature park network is proud of its important architectural heritage, which includes at least 64 structures that are available for film shoots.

Historic 17th and 18th century buildings are situated near the ruins of old factories. A luxurious villa adjoins a traditional farm.

With a peacefully isolated cottage along a riverbank, frenzied music by the lakeshore, and log cabins, our structures are well suited to a wide range of possibilities!

Numerous local and international productions have used this natural paradise as a fresh new site for film and TV productions

Feature films

• Beyond Borders
  A film by Martin Campbell. Starring Angelina Jolie, Clive Owen, Noah Emmerich, Teri Polo and Linus Roache.
  
  
• Boys III (The)
  A film by Louis Saïa. Starring Marc Messier, Rémy Girard, Patrick Huard, Serge Thériault, Paul Houde, Luc Guérin, Yvan Ponton, Roc Lafortune, Michel Barette, Patrick Labbé, Éric Lapointe, Pierre Lebeau, Alexis Martin and France d'Amour
  
  
• Different Loyalty (A)
  A film by Marek Kanievska. Starring Sharon Stone, Rupert Everett, Mark Randall, Tamara Hope and Jem Piddock
  
  
• Elles étaient cinq
  A film by Ghyslaine Côté. Starring Julie Deslauriers, Brigitte Lafleur, Ingrid Falaise, Peter Miller and Maurizio Terrazzano
  
  
• Human Stain (The)
  A film by Robert Benton. Starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Gary Sinise and Ed Harris
  
  
• Mambo Italiano
  A film by Émile Gaudreault. Starring Luke Kirby, Ginette Reno, Paul Sorvino, Claudia Ferri and Peter Miller
  
  

Television films and series

• 15 Love
  Directed by Paolo Barzman and Graeme Lynch. Starring Laurence Leboeuf, Maeghan Rath, Jacly Linetski, Max Walker, Vadim Schneider and Sara-Jeanne Labrosse
  
  
• Aventures tumultueuses de Jack Carter (Les)
  Directed by Louis Choquette. Starring Jean-Nicolas Verreault, Denis Bernard, Christian Bégin, Clémence Desrochers, Nathalie Mallette, Frédéric Pierre and Sophie Prégent
  
  
• Asbestos
  Directed by André Melançon. Starring Johanne-Marie Tremblay, Stéphane Gagnon, Frédérick de Grandpré, Normand Chouinard, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Murray Head, Philippe Lambert and Fanny Mallette
  
  
• Dernier chapitre (Le)
  Directed by Richard Roy. Starring Roy Dupuis, Michael Ironside, Marina Orsini, Céline Bonnier and Frank Schorpion
  
  
• Great Gatsby (The)
  Directed by Robert Markowitz. Starring Mira Sorvino, Toby Stephens and Paul Rudd
  
  
• Jackie
  Directed by David Burton Morris. Starring Joanne Whalley, Tim Matheson and Tom Skerritt
  
  
• Largo Winch
  Directed by David Wu and Paolo Barzman. Starring Paolo Seganti, Sydney Penny, Diego Wallraff and Geordie Johnson
  
  
• Ma vie en cinémascope
  Directed by Denise Filiatrault. Starring Pascale Buissières, Michel Barrette, Normand Chouinard and Serge Postigo
  
  
• Nuremberg
  Directed by Yves Simoneau. Starring Alec Baldwin, Brian Cox, Jill Hennessy, Michael Ironside, Christopher Plummer, Max Von Sydow and Charlotte Gainsbourg
  
  
• On n'est pas là pour s'aimer
  Directed by Daniel Jarneau. Starring Véronique Genest, Pierre Arditi, Robert Charlebois, Albert Millaire, Julien Rochefort, Julie du Page and Alain Sachs
  
  
• Rudy's War
  Directed by Robert Dornhelm. Starring James Wood and Penelope Ann Miller
  
  
• WW III
  Directed by Robert Mandel. Starring Timothy Hutton, Lane Smith and Michael Constantine

Montréal's nature parks

Set in the vicinity of rivers and lakes Montréal's nature parks afford a variety of panoramic views, accompanied by opportunities for windsurfing, boating of all kinds, cross-country skiing, bird watching and the sun-drenched pleasures of the beach.

Cap-Saint-Jacques
White sandy beach, small coves, organic farm and general store, chalet overlooking the lake and forests filled with wildlife.

Bois-de-l'île-Bizard
Cedar and maple forests, wooden walkway over the great marsh, bayous, beach, observatory over Deux Montagnes Lake.

Bois-de-Liesse
Streams, fields, centuries-old forests, ponds and wildflowers.

Anse-à-l'Orme
Launching ramps, windsurfing and boats.

Pointe-aux-Prairies
Marshland, observation pavilion, fields, forests and mature maple forests.

Île-de-la-Visitation
Des Moulins site. The du Pressoir House. A national industrial historical site with exquisitely grungy ruins.

Bois-de-Saraguay
MacDougall Manor.
This Georgian-style manor is exclusively reserved for film shoots and is situated on an 11,000-square metre estate consisting of gardens and forests.

• All nature parks overlook the water and offer easy parking for production vehicles.
• Various buildings can serve as support facilities and can easily accommodate caterers and makeup personnel.

These sites are accessible year round and are of particular benefit to filmmakers seeking locations for versatile and cost-effective productions.

Program information and reservations

Service du développement culturel, de la qualité du milieu de vie et de la diversité ethnoculturelle.

(514) 280-6708

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