A father-daughter road trip takes a terrifying turn when a wrong turn leads them to an isolated community hidden in the woods. In One Mile, the setting looks like rural America, but the truth is much closer to the Canadian wilderness.
Both One Mile: Chapter One and One Mile: Chapter Two were filmed entirely on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. One of the most unsettling locations is a real historic sawmill that became the cult’s remote compound. Elsewhere, a local gas station doubled as a fictional college town, while a park near British Columbia’s Legislature stood in for a university campus.
From Port Alberni to Qualicum Beach, here are the real filming locations behind both chapters of One Mile.
One Mile Filming Locations
One Mile: Chapter One and One Mile: Chapter Two were filmed back-to-back on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The main locations were Port Alberni, Qualicum Beach, Parksville, Victoria and Ladysmith. Filming began on September 9, 2024, in Victoria and wrapped in late October 2024.
| Town | Key Location | What It Played |
| Port Alberni | McLean Mill National Historic Site | The off-grid community’s compound |
| Qualicum Beach | Local gas station | Larksburg, a college town on the road trip |
| Victoria | Capital Park, near the Legislature | A university campus (reported) |
| Parksville | Private property on Lodgepole Drive | Undisclosed scenes |
| Ladysmith | Not disclosed | Supporting scenes |
One Mile Production Timeline
The idea came years before the cameras rolled. Producer Jaiden Kaplan came up with it in 2019 while on a college tour with her father, producer Aaron Kaplan. They were driving a lonely highway through the woods and frozen lakes of the Northeast US.
| Detail | Information |
| Concept created | 2019 |
| Project announced | December 2022 |
| Filming start | September 9, 2024 (Victoria) |
| Filming wrap | Late October 2024 |
| Post-production | Vancouver |
| Official trailer | February 5, 2026 |
| Digital release (both chapters) | February 20, 2026 |
| Paramount+ (US) premiere | October 1, 2026 |
| Running time | 89 min (Chapter One), 83 min (Chapter Two) |
The line producer and location manager flew over to Vancouver to see just one place: McLean Mill. From a few photos, they thought it might work for a single day of filming.
The Vancouver Island North Film Commission (INFilm) had bigger plans. Its team drove them around the mill, Port Alberni, Parksville and Qualicum Beach. The next day, it sent over a full location package.
Within days, the producers decided to shoot both films entirely on the Island. They believed more than half of the two movies could be filmed at the mill alone.
Line producer Chris Rudolph said the mill was the reason the production came to the Island.
The Island also offered lower location fees and easier permits than Vancouver, and the production didn’t have to build any sets.
“We’re shooting all practical,” producer Aaron Kaplan told INFilm. Real locations stood in for the universities, but most of the story takes place in the woods.
McLean Mill National Historic Site, Port Alberni
This is the location that defines the film. McLean Mill played home to the hostile, off-the-grid community that kidnaps Alex.
The mill is a steam-powered sawmill built in 1926. The McLean family ran it for three generations before it closed in 1965. Today it’s a National Historic Site owned by the City of Port Alberni.
Its rusting machinery, timber buildings and forest setting gave the cult’s compound an authentic, lived-in feel.
Producer Michael Lohmann said his team scouted sites around Vancouver first and found nothing comparable. His verdict on the mill: “we could never build this on set.”
The site closed to the public during filming and reopened on October 26, 2024.
Other productions filmed here:
| Production | Notes |
| The Stolen Child | Fantasy epic shot in the Alberni Valley in late 2024 |
| An untitled 2025 feature | Used McLean Mill and a local Smitty’s restaurant in summer 2025 |
Visiting tip: McLean Mill is open to visitors and is operated by the Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce. Check opening hours before you travel.
Qualicum Beach (The “Larksburg” Gas Station)
The father-daughter stop before everything goes wrong was filmed in Qualicum Beach.
Crews filmed Danny and Alex at a local gas station dressed as Larksburg, a fictional college town on their tour. Locals photographed the production truck and set in September 2024.
Qualicum Beach is a small seaside town on the Island’s east coast. Its quiet streets and forest edges easily pass for small-town America.
Other productions filmed in the Parksville–Qualicum Beach area:
| Production | Years |
| Chesapeake Shores (Hallmark series) | 2016–2022 |
Parksville
Production spent three days filming on a private property on Lodgepole Drive in Parksville.
The exact scenes haven’t been revealed. Given the film’s woodland setting, the rural property may have been used for wilderness sequences.
Parksville was also the crew’s base. The Beach Club Resort alone logged 120 room nights from the two productions.
Victoria
The shoot began in BC’s capital on September 9, 2024.
That Monday, residents spotted Capital Park, near the BC Legislature, transformed into a university campus. Many assumed it was the Phillippe film. The producers had said they were using real locations as the universities on Danny and Alex’s college tour.
Victoria filming lasted only a few days before the unit moved “up Island.”
RELATED: Where Street Fighter (2026) was filmed?
Ladysmith
Ladysmith, a heritage town south of Nanaimo, is also listed among the film’s locations by the Parksville Qualicum News.
The specific scenes shot here haven’t been detailed publicly.
Other productions filmed in Ladysmith:
| Production | Role of Ladysmith |
| Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) | Downtown First Avenue was dressed as the town of Green Hills |
The Local Impact
The shoot also brought money and work to the region.
| Figure | Detail |
| $3.0 million | Spent in the Parksville–Alberni region |
| $1.0 million+ | Of that spent on accommodation |
| Late July to October 2024 | Time the team spent on the Island |
| 120 | Room nights at the Beach Club Resort alone |
Rudolph also said the production trained new local crew members and hired people who had worked on Chesapeake Shores.
One Mile Cast
Ryan Phillippe leads both chapters and also served as a producer. Oscar winner Adam Davidson directed.
| Actor | Character |
| Ryan Phillippe | Danny Beckett, retired Special Forces soldier |
| Amélie Hoeferle | Alex, Danny’s teenage daughter |
| C. Thomas Howell | Stanley Dixon, leader of the off-grid community |
| Sara Canning | Janine, Danny’s estranged wife |
| Richard Harmon | Ray Dixon |
| Sage Linder | Lily Copeland |
| Beverley Elliott | Abigail Dixon |
| Anthony Timpano | Brandon Dalwood |
Behind the Scenes of One Mile
The concept of taking a father and daughter came from Jaiden Kaplan’s real college tour with her dad, Aaron Kaplan. One Mile was Kapital Entertainment’s first feature film project. Both chapters were filmed back-to-back to save time and money.
John Hlavin, TJ Brady and Rasheed Newson wrote the screenplay, from a story by Hlavin and Josh Senter. The post production was handled in Vancouver, with Flow Post Partners among the companies involved.
RE:ATED: Where was Lori Loughlin’s What If Christmas Filmed? Hallmark Movie Locations
Where to watch One Mile?
Both chapters came out for digital rental and purchase on February 20, 2026. In the US, both films joined Paramount+ on October 1, 2026, and are available on every subscription tier.
Watch Chapter One first. Chapter Two picks up where it ends, when the cult leader kidnaps Alex a second time for revenge.
One Mile Reviews
Critics were lukewarm, and audiences were kinder.
On Rotten Tomatoes, one critic called Chapter One predictable and forgettable, but still watchable. Many viewers praised Phillippe’s grounded performance as a desperate father.
On IMDb, Chapter One sits at around 5.6 out of 10. It did better on streaming, reaching the Paramount+ top 10 movie chart in Canada during summer 2026.
FAQs
Where was One Mile filmed?
On Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Key towns were Port Alberni, Qualicum Beach, Parksville, Victoria and Ladysmith.
Where is the cult compound in One Mile?
It’s the McLean Mill National Historic Site near Port Alberni, a steam sawmill built in 1926.
Is Larksburg a real place?
No. Larksburg is fictional. The scenes were shot at a gas station in Qualicum Beach.
Were One Mile: Chapter One and Chapter Two filmed together?
Yes. Both were shot back-to-back in fall 2024. The sequel was called One More Mile during production.
Was One Mile filmed in the United States?
No. The story was inspired by a road trip in the Northeast US, but filming took place entirely in Canada.
Can you visit the One Mile filming locations?
Yes. McLean Mill welcomes visitors, and Qualicum Beach, Parksville and Victoria are easy to explore. The Lodgepole Drive property is private.
Is this the same as 1 Mile to You?
No. 1 Mile to You (2017) is an unrelated running drama filmed around Jackson, Mississippi.
- Where was Below (2026) filmed? Every Netflix Location in Newfoundland - October 28, 2026
- Where was One Mile filmed? Every Vancouver Island Location Behind Ryan Phillippe’s Two-Part Thriller - October 26, 2026
- Where was Street Fighter (2026) Filmed? All Locations Revealed - October 25, 2026
