Picturesque and stunning Nova Scotia has it all: unspoiled coastlines, vibrant waterfronts, museums, and galleries. That’s why Nova Scotia has been a picture-perfect backdrop for different movies, series, and TV shows. One of the highest-grossing blockbusters of all time, “Titanic” and Stephen King’s film adaptation “Dolores Claiborne” are only a few movies with scenes that were shot in this stunning region. The rich cinematic heritage makes people call Nova Scotia, especially Halifax, “Halifornia”. Many Canadian and foreign filmmakers use Halifax as a film production center. So, why not immerse yourself in the beauty of Haligonia and Nova Scotia by watching films? Here is the list of the five high-profile film productions that were (partly) filmed in Nova Scotia.

“Dolores Claiborne” (1995)

Based on Stephen King’s novella, “Dolores Claiborne” tells the story of a woman named Dolores living in remote Maine, on the fictional island of Little Tall. She has been working as a domestic servant for her wealthy employer, Vera Donovan, for twenty-three years and is now indicted for her murder. While working out the details of the case, a big-shot reporter and Dolores’s daughter Selena has to reveal a difficult truth about her own and Dolores’ past. Though set in the fictional Little Tall, the movie was filmed in various places around Nova Scotia. The crew built a movie set for the house of Dolores just outside of Lunenburg in Blue Rocks. The old Jib House in Chester featured in Stephen King’s thriller as Vera Donovan’s mansion. Other filming locations were in Riverport, Halifax, Mahone Bay, Wolfville, and Kentville, all in Nova Scotia.

“Two If By Sea” (1996)

Since Nova Scotia is almost completely surrounded by the sea, the name of this movie perfectly matches its filming locations. This romantic comedy with Sandra Bullock and Denis Leary in the main roles was filmed in Lunenburg, Halifax, Prospect, Riverport, Mahone Bay, and Chester in Nova Scotia. For example, the movie set, representing Evan’s House, was built near Chester. The strongest point of the movie is the relationship between two lovers, Roz (Sandra Bullock) and Frank (Denis Leary), who head to a New England village for a nice weekend. A lovely premise, isn’t it? The problem is that Roz is actually a small-time thief, and he has recently stolen a painting. Nova Scotia coastal sideline “Two if by Sea” is a gripping comedy with

“Titanic” (1997)

Whether you are a fan of disaster movies or not (and are more into horrors and gambling best slots!), you must have seen this iconic masterpiece. Not only the heart-wrenching love story of Jack and Rose, but the epic ocean scenes take our breath away. The so-called Titanic Canyon in Halifax made an appearance in some of the film’s ocean scenes. Most of the scenes with a sinking replica of the ill-fated ocean liner were filmed in Nova Scotia, not by chance. In 1912, The RMS Titanic went down only about 700 nautical miles (around 1290 km) east of Halifax. That’s why the footage of the real Titanic on the floor of the North Atlantic (at a depth of 12,500 feet (ca. 4 km)) in the opening scenes comes from Nova Scotia. In 1995 the filmmaker James Cameron even took part in 12 expeditions to the wreckage from the research ship The Keldysh. He spent longer on the Titanic than any of its passengers! The crew managed to get quite far and filmed some amazing things, including the woodwork and furniture. Cameron also shot scenes with the aged Rose in Halifax.

“The New Waterford Girl” (1999)

Shot in Glace Bay and surrounding areas of the NS municipality Cape Breton, “The New Waterford Girl” is an utterly charming teenage movie. 15-year-old Agnes-Marie Pottey (Liane Balaban) is growing up in the coastal community of New Waterford in Nova Scotia and dreams of living another life. A rebel, she becomes friends with another teenage girl Lou Benzoa (Tara Spencer-Nairn), and tries to escape her conservative hometown. If you have never been to Cape Breton and North Sydney (most of the scenes representing New Waterford features this town), you will certainly fall in love with the small-town aesthetic shown in this movie. And you will probably decide to stay there.

“The Lighthouse” (2019)

Directed by Robert Eggers, this horror movie is a deeply unsettling and mystical story of two lighthouse keepers on an isolated island. A horrific storm turns the stint of the lighthouse keepers, portrayed by Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, into a tale of despair, distrust, and delusion. As the story unfolds, two men are gradually losing sanity during their desolate post and get to know the truth about each other. Just as “Titanic”, “The Lighthouse” has its roots in a real-life tragedy. In 1801, two keepers of the Smalls Lighthouse in Pembrokeshire stayed confined to the lighthouse because of the storm, and one of them died. Filming “The Lighthouse” also was an intense challenge for the whole crew, who has built a lighthouse facsimile in a fishing community of Cape Forchu, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia.

In fact, there are many other movies with scenes featuring Nova Scotia. Take a look at the following ones and their NS filming locations:

• “My Bloody Valentine” (1981): Sydney Mines, Cape Breton
• “Margaret’s Museum” (1995): North Sydney, Dominion, Glace Bay
• “The Scarlet Letter” (1995): Shelburne, Saint Alphonse
• “Pit Pony” (1997): Glace Bay
• “Simon Birch” (1998): Lunenburg
• “Deeply” (2000): Ironbound Island
• “K-19: The Widowmaker” (2002): Halifax
• “Marion Bridge” (2002): Cape Breton, Halifax
• “Outlander” (2008): Halifax, Nine Mile River
• “Amelia” (2009): Wolfville, Dartmouth
• “Cloudburst” (2011): Halifax, Lunenburg, Grand Pré, Blomidon
• “Take This Waltz” (2011): Louisbourg
• “The Healer” (2016): Lunenburg, Aspotagan
• “The Secret Gift of Christmas” (2023): Halifax