Filmmaker bringing snow to Langley

Published 1:30 am Friday, April 17, 2026

Ignore your local meteorologist: It’ll snow this summer in Langley. A Whidbey producer and screenwriter is sure of it.

South Whidbey resident Kim Hornsby is co-producing “Starry-Eyed Christmas,” what she describes as an ultra-low-budget romantic comedy set during the holiday season and ideally filmed entirely in Langley. Dashing leading actors have been selected, and a largely Seattle-based film crew is on board.

But the “biggest production question” facing the project right now, Hornsby said, is how to dust the temperate South End municipality in snow, an undertaking art director Lisa Hammond is tasked with.

“You pretty much have to have some snow for a Christmas movie. If you were doing a Hallmark or a Lifetime movie, they wouldn’t buy it,” Hornsby explained. “They wouldn’t take it without snow.”

Author-turned-filmmaker Hornsby has a good idea of what sells, having published 22 novels via Amazon Books before transitioning into screenwriting and, later, producing. Today, Hornsby is credited as producer on numerous released and unreleased films of a variety of genres, according to her IMDb page.

Christmas movies, she explained, are consistently popular, making them a solid return on investment.

“Starry-Eyed Christmas” is a gender-bent takeoff of “Roxanne,” released in 1987, which is itself inspired by the classic play Cyrano de Bergerac.

In Hornsby’s movie, small-town sheriff Bailey falls in love with Hudson, a visiting astronaut hoping to catch a rare glimpse of the Christmas Star. Bailey is authoritative in uniform but shy otherwise, particularly when it comes to romantic endeavors, Hornsby explained. When Hudson asks the beautiful hairdresser Natasha out, Bailey coaches her through her interactions with him. Little does Hudson know, the woman whose words he is falling in love with are Bailey’s.

Melanie Stone plays the sheriff, Joshua Price the astronaut and Angela Cole the hairdresser.

“We were so lucky to get these actors, bringing them in from Los Angeles. We need people who do a lot of movies and have some street cred,” Hornsby said.

Hornsby wrote the screenplay, earning her a writing credit in addition to her co-producer credit. She has since tweaked the screenplay to better suit the story to Langley.

“I just keep thinking that I want to make a rom-com in Langley, because it’s such a romantic little village, and perfect setting for a lovely romantic story,” Hornsby explained. “I wasn’t thinking Christmas cause we don’t have snow here. But when I got interest in a particular script, I was able to change the location from the mountains to an island.”

Hornsby has since rewritten portions of the screenplay to minimize characters’ time outdoors, too, largely in an effort to cut down the number of scenes requiring faux snow. Cotton will likely be used to create wintry sets, Hornsby explained, which could be touched up in post-production to give it a more realistic texture.

Besides cotton, styrofoam, soap and potato flakes are commonly used to create snow.

“We don’t want to do potato flakes because if it rains, we’ll have mashed potatoes all over the town,” Hornsby said, laughing.

Alas, this is a good example of the kind of producer problem-solving Hornsby prefers, rather than the usual slate of paperwork, permitting and oversight. But, flanked by two experienced co-producers, she is not alone in these duties.

Cathy Yonek, out of Los Angeles, is directing “Starry-Eyed Christmas” as well. She is involved in another Christmas movie, “Chocolate for Christmas,” which will be released this year. Derek Johnson is credited as a camera operator on a Primetime Emmy-winning and-nominated 9/11 documentary released in 2002.

Johnson also filmed and co-produced “Mistakhan,” a thriller filmed in Coupeville in September.

Filming will take place from July 20 to Aug. 2. “Ultra-low-budget” is an industry term, Hornsby clarified, so “Starry-Eyed Christmas” will cost $300,000 or under to make, according to SAG-AFTRA’s definition. Editing will take place on-site in the hopes of wrapping everything up by September for a timely December premiere, Hornsby explained. She would like to hold the premiere at the Clyde Theater.

What makes filming on Whidbey unique, Hornsby said, is the amount of community cooperation involved, particularly because she wants to keep filming disruptions to a minimum.

Some scenes will be shot downtown, and Hornsby said there are plans to submit an application to film on the Mukilteo-Clinton ferry. A Christmas bash will be held at the Bayview Community Hall. Moonraker Books will stage the astronaut’s book signing. Hudson will observe the Christmas Star from a telescope at Double Bluff Beach.

The Langley Chamber of Commerce invited Hornsby to a meeting on April 8 when she contacted a board member about finding an office space to use for filming.

“I just knew that was an important way of interacting with our community,” Nicole Whittington-Johnson, the chamber’s executive director, said. “She was just so sincere and authentic, that I think it’s going to be a really good match.”

Recalling the meeting, Whittington-Johnson expects much of filming downtown to occur at night.

“With business hours pretty much closing around 5 to 6, and the sun not setting ‘till later, I think that it shouldn’t be too much of a conflict,” Whittington-Johnson said.

Separately, Whittington-Johnson and Langley Mayor Kennedy Horstman expressed appreciation for Hornsby’s efforts to involve the community.

“It’s really positive that this came up at a Langley Chamber meeting because member businesses are the most likely to be impacted during filming,” Horstman said.

Cooperation makes filming a possible, potentially to Langley’s benefit, Hornsby pointed out. “Practical Magic,” a movie released nearly 30 years ago, was only partially filmed in Coupeville but the town still draws tourism today because of it.

While she found Hornsby’s desire to film in Langley “flattering,” Whittington-Johnson wondered about the kind of tourism the city could realistically handle in the event that “Starry-Eyed Christmas” secures a cult following of its own. Langley is smaller in size, and its facilities are proportional.

“It feels tricky because we want to be able to invite people here to enjoy this beautiful place with us, but we can’t really hold large masses all at once,” she said.

But, at mention of the production’s snow conundrum, Whittington-Johnson fondly recalled walking through the city while attending New York University, and seeing the many film sets in action.

“It feels magical, and so for the town to get to see a little bit of the behind the scenes, I think it’ll be really fun,” she added.

Hornbsy hopes that excitement catches on.

“Even though this isn’t a big studio film with Sandra Bullock, it’s gonna be a cute little movie, and we want to put Langley on the map, you know?” she said.

Personally, “Starry-Eyed Christmas” is meaningful for Horsnby, too. Gender-bending the roles and featuring a woman in a position of authority in a traditionally male-dominated industry resonates with Hornsby, newly adjusting to an independent lifestyle in the wake of her husband’s passing.

“It would mean a lot to me, living here, if the shoot is just really fun, the community has a lot of fun with it, if everybody’s happy afterwards,” Hornsby added.

“Starry-Eyed Christmas” is still seeking a large space to act as a production headquarters, a few more artificial Christmas trees for set decoration and old-fashioned carolers. Inquiries should be directed to starryeyedxmas@yahoo.com.

Whittington-Johnson said the Chamber will be in regular contact with Hornsby. Updates on filming may be available at forthcoming meetings, which usually take place the second Wednesday of each month. Information on meetings is often posted on the Langley Chamber of Commerce Facebook page and @visitlangley on Instagram.