Every year, there is one Hallmark movie that jumps off to a European filming location while leaving behind the traditional Canadian locations, Joyeux Noel is that film of Hallmark for 2023 Countdown to Christmas.
Jessica Harmon has directed this romance comedy film with the screenplay of Brant and Kimberly Daugherty, and executive produced by Nancy Bennett and David Sweeney.
The movie has been produced by Phillip J Roth, Jeffery Beach, and Kristina Kambitova under Hallmark Media in association with UFO International Productions. Let’s get back to the shooting locations of the film.
Joyeux Noel Filming Locations
The Hallmark movie Joyeux Noel was primarily filmed in France during mid-2023. IMDb has noted that some of the shooting was also done in Bulgaria. Filming began in June 2023 and completed in July 2023.
While France is a part of western Europe, Bulgaria is located in the Balkans that cover the eastern portion of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe. The two locations are located on the different corners of Europe but filmmakers managed to quickly finish the production.
Rouen, France
Most of the filming was done in Rouen, a historic city in northwestern France, located on the Seine River. It is the capital of Normandy region and is popular for its medieval architecture.
This historic city has been the setting for many films and TV shows over the years, and its picturesque streets provided the perfect backdrop for the film’s Christmas story.
In this Hallmark movie, Rouen serves as the actual setting for the fictional French village of Montclair. The cast crew members were spotted filming at the Creperie restaurant near the Carrousel Pub & Bar at 77 Rue d’Amiens, 76000 Rouen.
Production team of Joyeux Noel transformed the French restaurant interiors into a charming cafe, where Mark and Lea are enjoying a cup of coffee along with Pierre and Samantha. There is a salon at Le 14 Rue Massacre, that has been featured in the film
Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Plovdiv is the second-largest city of Bulgaria and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe with a population of 350,000 people.
It is the capital of Plovdiv province and has known for its rich history culture, and well-preserved Roman designs.
The city’s snow-capped mountains and picturesque villages provided the perfect backdrop for the film’s winter scenes.
Some of the recent Hallmark movies that were filmed in Europe are A Belgian Chocolate Christmas, A Royal Christmas in Europe, The Santa Summit (Canada), A Christmas Carol, and Christmas in the Alps.
Cast of Joyeux Noel
Jaicy Elliot is portraying the role of Lea in this Hallmark movie. Her credits include in TV series like Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19, and movies like Romance in Style, My Southern Family, and others.
Brant Daugherty starring as Mark in this holiday movie. He even produced and written the scripts for the movie along with his wife Kimberly Daugherty. His credits include in A Royal Runaway Romance, The Baker’s Son, etc.
Other cast members include:
- Emmanuel Menard as Bernard
- Stephanie Fatout as Marguerite
- Ciara Prioux as Sophie
- Azad Boutella as Gabriel
- Blanche Ravalec as Vivienne
- Vincent Nemeth as Pierre
- Michael Obiora as Brian
- Laurel Lefkow as Samantha
- Lucy Newman -Williams as Vera
- Riley Chung as Emma
- Robin Kafaliev as Cart Owner
- Fayssal Benbahmed as Constable
- Mina Poe as French Woman
- Heather James as Camille
- Phoenix Laroche as French Boy
- Kate Nichols as Mary
- Meglena Karalambova as Celine
- JR Esposito as TV Reporter
- Panayot Panayotov as Francois
- Nikolay Lukanov as Vendor
- Rashko Mladenov as Accordionist
- Laura Giosh as Shopkeeper
What is the movie about?
To uncover the love story behind the popular Mon Fleur painting, Lea and Mark travels to a small French village to visit the annual Christmas market where the couple behind the story met.
How to watch Joyeux Noel movie?
“Joyeux Noel” is scheduled to premiere on the Hallmark Channel on the following dates:
- Nov 7 at 10/9c
- Nov 11 at 12/11c
- Nov 21 at 12a/11
- Dec 31 at 6a/5c
