Our Top Ten List of Movies Shot in Africa.

Africa is renowned for its enormous plains, untamed landscapes, hospitable people, and amazing wildlife. However, don’t be shocked if you unexpectedly encounter a street scene from Pakistan in the central business district of Cape Town. That will only serve as a set for the upcoming Homeland series. Just past the airport, an inland pirate ship? The Black Sails set would be that. Africa is now a popular destination for international television shows and motion pictures.

Africa is becoming a popular location for film production because of its pleasant climate, even friendlier locals, and vistas that may be mistaken for any other place in the world. Our top 10 picks for on-location movies from Southern and Eastern Africa are as follows:

Lord of War (South Africa, 2005)

Lord of War tells the tale of Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage), a legendary arms dealer who amassed a fortune by selling weapons to some of the most infamous tyrants in history in some of the bloodiest conflict zones on earth.

“It’s a beautiful country, the way the light falls here in Africa, you can see animals, and the amount of things you can do,” Cage said when discussing his experience filming in Africa. Being in Africa is an exhilarating experience.

Yuri’s younger brother Vitaly, portrayed by Jared Leto, tries to get into the illegal arms trade and instead turns to cocaine.

When questioned about his experience in South Africa, Leto said, “That’s one of the unique things about South Africa.” It can represent a large portion of the world. The geography is such a strange, yet lovely, area. It has been enjoyable to film here.

Orlov, who is constantly threatened by rival arms traffickers and Interpol investigator Jack Valentine (Ethan Hawke), plays the ideal husband and father to Ava (Bridget Moynahan), who believes he is a businessman.

The film was shot for nine days in the United States, ten weeks in Cape Town, and three days in the Czech Republic. The Woodstock area of Cape Town’s Lower Main Road was entirely transformed into a Monrovia street scene ravaged by conflict.

Last King of Scotland (Uganda, 2006)

The Last King of Scotland is a gripping historical drama about Uganda and its most notorious tyrant, Idi Amin, that blends reality and fiction. This amazing tale of a young Ugandan who rose from little to become president of Uganda in 1971 quickly devolves into one of corruption, terror, and horrifying violence, as portrayed by Forest Whitaker.

We are guided through the story from the viewpoint of Dr. Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), a young Scottish physician employed as Amin’s personal doctor. The Ugandan people witnessed Amin’s descent into terrible horrors, which began with his early enthusiastic and charismatic leadership of the new democracy.
The film’s producers and director, Kevin Macdonald, intended to film in Uganda. This presented a significant technical and political difficulty because everything related to Idi Amin still evokes strong (and often violent) feelings in Uganda, which lacks a film infrastructure.

Following a meeting with President Yoweri Museveni and eight ministers, the president expressed his happiness to have their film there and even offered the filmmakers the use of his parliament, army, and ministries.

The end result is a film that was shot on location in many of the locations where these historical events actually happened, such as Entebbe Airport, the scene of the 1971 hostage crisis. Charles Mulekwa, a Ugandan consultant, was happy to be able to highlight both Uganda’s positive and negative aspects.

It goes without saying that there were hiccups during the filming process in Africa, particularly in a nation where movies are rarely produced. An action picture of emergency vehicles was postponed for several hours on the first day because the ambulance refused to start. It was discovered after some research that the gasoline had been siphoned off during the night!

However, spirits remained high throughout the shooting. “The thing that truly saved us in Uganda is that everybody in the cast and crew embraced the huge challenges of shooting there, and embraced working with people who haven’t done films before, and did so with incredible energy and good humor,” producer Andrea Calderwood said when asked about the experience.

(South Africa, 2009) District 9

Over Jozi, alien ships? You had better trust it. This allegorical science fiction feature film was shot entirely in Johannesburg by director Neill Blomkamp. It tells the tale of an extraterrestrial species that becomes stranded on Earth without a leader.

The viewer witnesses the aliens living in filth and being treated like third-class people in a story that somewhat reflects the apartheid era. Even though they are a vicious animal, you can’t help but feel sorry for them by the end, as is the case with any good film.

The locale in which they shot a large portion of the movie, Chiawelo, an underprivileged neighborhood of Soweto, was the thing Blomkamp found most difficult to deal with. The film was shot in Johannesburg and had a crew that was virtually entirely South African. Nevertheless, he was struck by how friendly its inhabitants were in spite of their situation.

After a wonderful viral marketing-centered promotional phase that included billboards and bus shelters stating “Bus Stop for Humans Only,” the picture, which was nominated for four Oscars and numerous other prizes, swept the box office.
Leaving Africa (Kenya, 1985).

From 1913 to 1931, Karen Blixen lived on a coffee farm in Kenya, which is chronicled in this iconic movie. The film, which was produced on location in Kenya, including the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, features stunning shots of the country’s breathtaking plains.

As the narrative progresses, Meryl Streep and Robert Redford each shine. Meryl Streep (as Blixen) infuriates colonial Africa by establishing a school and educating the indigenous tribe that lives and works on the land. There is love, treachery, violence, and World War I. It’s a lovely tale set in a lovely setting.

Like any film made in Africa, particularly in rural Africa like this one, it had its share of challenges and peculiarities! There were some places that could only be reached on foot, and cast members and crew had to navigate while being watched by untamed creatures. Communication was challenging because many of the extras were locals who spoke little to no English. Nevertheless, there was a strong sense of respect for the nation and its citizens in spite of these relatively small problems.

During filming, Meryl Streep and her family resided at a property she rented in Nairobi. She soon discovered that life in Africa was very different from life in the United States. “I went to take my son to school, and there were seven giraffes in the driveway,” Streep recalls.
When you are in Africa, you receive that.

(Namibia 2015) Mad Max: Fury Road.

The fourth installment in the Mad Max series, Mad Max: Fury Road, is scheduled for release in 2015, more than 35 years after the first Mad Max movie. The first three Mel Gibson-starring Mad Max films were filmed (and set) in Australia, and this one was also intended to be filmed there. However, a very wet season transformed the area into a stunning display of wildflowers. Naturally, this did not fit Mad Max’s dismal, desolate setting, so the filming was transferred to Namibia.

Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron feature in the picture, which was directed, produced, and co-written by George Miller, the creative force behind the Mad Max series. Anticipate a thrilling journey across the expansive and breathtaking post-apocalyptic desert terrain.

Freedom Cry (Zimbabwe, 1987)

South Africa serves as the backdrop for the tale of political activist Steve Biko. Since it could not be filmed in the nation during the height of Apartheid in the late 1980s, it was instead filmed in neighboring Zimbabwe.

Supported by Kevin Kline, Denzel Washington portrays Biko, who is friends with journalist Donald Woods. The movie tells Biko’s narrative as it is told in Woods’ two books about the political activist. Biko passed away in prison under dubious circumstances at the age of thirty.

An inside look into South Africa’s history and the horrors of the Apartheid era may be found in this Oscar-nominated film.

(South Africa, 2009) Invictus

In the uplifting tale of South Africa’s victory in the 1996 Rugby World Cup, Morgan Freeman portrays Nelson Mandela. A primarily South African cast and crew participated in the on-location filming, which took place in Cape Town, Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Robben Island, many of which were the real sites where the events took place.

As they work to bring the nation together via sport, Francois Pienaar (played by Matt Damon), the captain of the Springbok rugby team, befriends the president. As it did for the Springbok squad all those years ago, filming the sequence in which the team visited the cell where Nelson Mandela spent so many years on Robben Island left the cast and crew hushed in reflection.

In order to preserve the authenticity of this touching and victorious story, Clint Eastwood, the film’s director, decided to shoot the true story of Madiba’s ability to bring a once-divided nation together entirely in South Africa.
As always, shooting in Africa has unique difficulties. A scene that was being filmed in a forest close to Cape Town had to be postponed a little while the baboons in the trees moved out of the way. However, they remained close by, a primate audience chatting in the trees!

Blood Diamond (Mozambique/South Africa, 2006)

Blood Diamond, which is set in Sierra Leone in 1999, tells the tale of a Mende fisherman (Djimon Hounsou) and a South African mercenary (Leonardo DiCaprio). The two, who come from very different backgrounds, work together to try to rescue a rare pink diamond as Sierra Leone is experiencing a civil conflict.

The movie focuses on the trade in blood diamonds, which are extracted in conflict areas and used to finance war in Africa while benefiting warlords and diamond businesses alike. The film depicts the brutality of the Sierra Leonean civil war as well as the appalling working conditions faced by miners.

The movie was filmed in Cape Town, Port Edward (on the KwaZulu Natal coast), and Mozambique because of Sierra Lone’s inadequate infrastructure. Since Sierra Leone is a tropical nation, it would be easy to dress to look authentic in KwaZulu Natal and Mozambique’s tropical climate.

It seems to have been a rather positive experience. “We were working in Cape Town and Port Edward,” DiCaprio said after the fact. I adored the people. I had a great time there. South Africa gave me some life-changing experiences that I will never forget. In particular, I adored Cape Town. It was simply a stunning spot with some of the most breathtaking scenery and incredibly friendly locals. I genuinely want to return.

The Constant Gardener (Kenyan 2005)

The movie, which is loosely based on a true tale, centers on UK diplomat Justin Quayle (played by Ralph Fiennes), who is trying to explain why his wife (played by Rachel Weisz) was murdered. As it turns out, she was looking into a suspicious drug study that might have revealed the wrongdoings of a large pharmaceutical company while working as an amnesty campaigner.

Shot on location in Nairobi and the Kibera slums, the story is set in Kenya. What they witnessed had an impact on the actors and crew. The production company’s public relations consultant, Liz Miller, stated: “Everyone has been incredibly kind to us, and we feel honored to be here. The situation of the people living in the Kibera slums, where we spent three days filming, is quite depressing.

South Africa, “The Long Walk to Freedom” (2013)

16 years after Mandela published his memoirs, the amazing tale of his life—from cattle herder to global icon, and all the turbulent moments in between—was ultimately filmed in South Africa in 2011.

The film, which was directed by Justin Chadwick and produced by Anant Singh—to whom Mandela gave the prized film rights—was filmed with a cast and crew that was primarily South African. Additionally, locations were maintained as authentic to the narrative as possible.

“I started my search in South Africa because I am British and this is a South African film, and it was important to me to have South Africans tell this story,” Chadwick explains.

The film shines because every South African has a story about Madiba, whether it be personal encounters or where they were when he was released. The spirit of Madiba permeated every individual and every setting.