Adam Baldwin’s song inspires new Nova Scotia Film ‘Little Lorraine’

Adam Baldwin’s song is the inspiration for the new film “Little Lorraine.”

A song by Nova Scotia singer-songwriter Adam Baldwin has inspired a new film.

Baldwin says he first heard the tale that it’s based on years ago from a funeral director in Louisburg, N.S. He claimed his brothers had been smuggling drugs off the Atlantic coast - hiding them in caskets at the family funeral home.

“That was the most insane thing to hear a funeral director tell you,” said Baldwin in an interview with CTV’s Katie Kelly.

The story eventually became the inspiration for his song Lighthouse in Little Lorraine.

The lyrics spoke to Nova Scotia filmmaker Andy Hines. “I listened to the song one time and I saw the whole movie,” said Hines. “It opened up this sort of floodgate of creativity I couldn’t ignore.”

Hines has spent the past decade working with international music stars like Keith Urban and Lizzo, honing his craft. Now, he’s making his feature debut with Little Lorraine, a film directly inspired by Baldwin’s track.

Baldwin was closely involved in shaping the script. “I went through it with a fine-tooth comb to make the dialogue sound like the people I know from Louisburg,” said Baldwin. “There’s a little bit of my uncle Hector in every single character.”

The film was shot on location in the community itself, something Baldwin says mattered deeply. “I just hope, for the love of God, that people do not forget about this beautiful part of the world.”

Little Lorraine features Stephen Amell, Sean Astin, Matt Walsh, Steve Lund, Stephen McHattie and even Latin music superstar J Balvin, making his acting debut. The scale of the production surprised even Baldwin. “Truly, I was stunned by the amount of people that descended on my father’s hometown of Louisburg. The scale of the whole thing was outrageous,” said Baldwin. “It’s the most exciting thing that’s happened in Louisburg in 30 years.”

For Hines, the film is a love letter to the province. “I hope people love Nova Scotia. I hope they love the performances, the story, and seeing something that’s set in a place they can relate to with characters they can relate to.”

After premiering earlier this month at the Toronto International Film Festival, Little Lorraine is now set to screen at the Atlantic International Film Festival in Halifax -something Hines calls a dream come true.

“For my first movie to premiere at one of the top three film festivals in the world is incredible,” said Hines. “But to be at AIFF, where I’m from, and to have this film with my longtime pal Adam as the source material - there are so many things that make playing in Halifax a real dream.”