Movie shoot underway in Canton

The filming of a faith-based movie is currently underway in Madison County, with the main spot being the historic Canton Square. 

Film producer Andrew Stevens said the movie is called “Sunday Kinda Love” and is the third film he has shot in Madison County. 

The other movies he’s shot in Madison include “The Minute You Wake Up Dead” starring Morgan Freeman and Cole Houser, and “Sisters on the Run,” which airs March 24 on the A&E Lifetime Network, he said. 

Stevens has produced around 180 films through his various production and distribution companies. He is an accomplished screenwriter, director and prolific producer. 

“Sunday Kinda Love” will be the newest film under his belt and is set to premiere on PureFlix, a streaming platform exclusively for faith-based movies, near the end of this year. 

It features actor John Schneider, famous for playing Bo Duke in “The Dukes of Hazzard.” Schneider, whose wife, Alicia Allain, died in February, plays a character mourning the liss of his wife.

The film follows an anonymous spiritual advice columnist (played by Ashley Bratcher) as she returns to her hometown (Canton) after the death of her mother and has to regain her faith in her work, family, and marriage.

“I’ve shot movies all over the world and each place has pros and cons,” Stevens said. “This particular film calls for a simple small town, which Canton perfectly embodies. The patriarch lives on a rural Mississippi property with his own pond and horses and has a mechanic shop, all of which are inherently appropriate here. The locations we are using fit the story perfectly.” 

He said the location in the movie will be real-life Canton. 

Filming in Canton began on Feb. 13 and the crew plans to wrap filming this weekend. 

“The weather at this time of year is always a factor,” Stevens said. “I was filming here a year ago and we had some very cold and wet days, and then in the blink of an eye I’m in shorts and its 84 degrees out. Fortunately the weather has been great.” 

“Another reason for filming in Mississippi, specifically Canton, is the Mississippi Film Commission, as they are very film friendly,” he said. It makes it very easy to grease the tracks and they help assist filmmakers in setting up shop here. Canton has its local treasure, Mrs. Joanne Gordon, and she has been a great help to us in allowing us to shoot in places that most cities would not allow filming.” 

Along with “Sunday Kinda Love,” Canton has a big film history, with appearances in films like “My Dog Skip” and “A Time to Kill.”

Several members of the “Sunday Kinda Love” crew are from Madison County, including Lt. Mark Sandridge of the Madison County Sheriff’s Department, Matt Ellis, set medic for the film, Dee Lucroy-Demtsey, who provides the crew and actors with food and drinks, and Production Assistant Ace Henley. 

Sandridge said he is doing security for the movie and is a technical advisor to the actor playing the main deputy in “Sunday Kinda Love.”

“Making this movie has been great,” Sandridge said. “This is my third movie with Andrew Stevens. He’s brought in a lot of locals and crew from the last movie we made (“The Minute You Wake Up Dead”) so it was sort of like a reunion. He takes good care of us.” 

Matt Ellis said the crew is treated right and views everyone as a little family. 

“This is a good tight crew and it was the first crew I worked with when I got into film,” Ellis said. “It’s a little family for about a month and we get the job done.” 

Dee Lecroy-Demtsey said filming has been amazing and the people on set work well together. 

“We all communicate so well,” Demtsey said. “This has been one of the best sets I’ve ever been on. There’s no confrontation, no drama, and they are very professional.” 

Production Assistant Ace Henley said he has formed a bond with the crew that he wouldn’t have been able to create otherwise. 

“This is my first time working with these guys and it’s been really nice,” Henley said. “It’s a mix of local crew and people from out of town. The bond has been great.”