Hollywood movies contain iconic cinematography in which these scenes can make the film realistic, creative, and spectacular. A picture-perfect scene can be achieved based on the appropriate locations. The breathtaking views of the landscapes, terrains, sand dunes, beaches, Rocky Mountains, wild-life Safari zones, and national parks, all these topographies can only be seen in Africa!
The African continent has its natural beauty, a perfect culture, and native inhabitants which makes it interesting and unique for blockbuster movies. To give you some hints, this is our top 5 best Hollywood movies that you didn’t know were filmed in Africa:
Gladiator in Morocco 2000
Are you familiar with the epic scenes in the Gladiator? If you had watched the scene, wherein the Berbers fought in a sparring match, this Gladiator arena was a stadium at the famous Ait Ben Haddou in Morocco.
As you can see, the venue features sandy landscapes, an ighrem, and unique earthen clay architectural designs of the premises. Moreover, this place was preserved and protected as one of the world’s heritage sites since 1987 by the UNESCO.
Ever since 1963, there are several amazing movies which were filmed in this venue. Sodom and Gomorrah was the first ever movie shot in Morocco. However, the Gladiator garnered the best rating so far as compared to the 20 movies held in Morocco.
- IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
- Awards: Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Film, Best Production Design, Movie of the Year
Max Mud Fury Road in Namibia 2015
Have you watched this movie already? The sceneries were taken place from the crimson deserts of Namibia. The orange and brownish dramatic color of the desert makes it a number one spot for filming. The Max Mud Fury Road filmed in Namib Desert close to Swakopmund, Namibia to make the cinematography more realistic, genuine, and unique.
The Max Mud Fury Road storyline started when the people suffer from the energy crisis. The entire world becomes a gigantic desert wasteland then the civilization becomes extinct. One of the survivors named as Max was captured by the army. Immortan Joe, the tyrant, and leader of the army imprisoned Max and utilized him as a blood bag for Nux.
The tyrant collected five women to be his wives for breeding. However, when Imperator Furiosa drives off to collect ammunition and gasoline, Max flees together with the five women. They ride on the Imperator Furiosa’s semi-truck to escape from the hands of Immortan Joe. Hence, the desert road war was started from that incident.
Max Mud Fury Road is like a war in a game. The plot is unique and well-conceptualized. Every stunt was perfectly exploited by the characters. The costumes and visual effects were cool and awesome which really depicts tough characters. Overall, the cinematography was splendid because it symbolizes survival, feminism, and redemption.
- IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
- Awards: Best Stunt Rigging, Best Equality of the Sexes, Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature, Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects
Hotel Rwanda in South Africa and Rwanda 2004
Before Don Cheadle played as the black iron man in the Marvel series, he was the protagonist of the movie Hotel Rwanda. If you had a chance to watch this film, it contains criticisms, racism, and tyranny. The Rwandan Civil War was highly portrayed in this movie because it represents the history of Rwanda from the hands of the Hutu. There was racism, massacre, and bad blood between the Hutu and Tutsi during the mid-1994.
Hotel Rwanda was conceptualized based on the history of the place and true-to-life events. Don Cheadle starred as Paul Rusesabagina, a Hutu was married to a Tutsi wife. Interesting isn’t? You will appreciate the movie because it was based on a real-life scenario and history.
I have a trivia when it comes to the location. Hotel Rwanda was not just filmed in the place itself but also in some other places in South Africa. The filming was also shot in Johannesburg and Kigali South Africa. These places were the best venue for the movie because these locations make the community and the village look realistic.
- IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
- Awards: Top Audience Award, Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama, Best Motion Picture Drama, Best Original Song, Humanitas Prize, Top Ten Films, Stanley Kramer Award, People’s Choice Award
Blood Diamond in Mozambique & South Africa 2006
From the title itself Blood Diamond, this movie centers politics. The movie itself earned high ratings but it couldn’t get into the winning spot. Nevertheless, this political movie was an eye-opener to the public because it depicts conspiracy and oppression.
The glimpse of the story started when Leonardo DiCaprio (as Danny Archer) was jailed due to smuggling diamonds and mining from South Africa. During his imprisonment, he heard rumors about the pink diamond and its astounding selling price. Due to this idea, he did everything to get out of jail and meet Vandy. In other words, Vandy knew where the pink diamond was, and Archer decided to help him.
Overall, the movie conveys real-life scenarios wherein higher authorities perform hidden agendas and illicit transactions. It contains satyr contents which makes it interesting to watch. Moreover, the filming was held in Mozambique and Cape Town in South Africa.
- IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
- Awards: Mostly nominated
Out of Africa in Maasai Mara National Reserve 1985
Who would have thought that there’s a romantic place in Kenya? The Out of Africa movie portrayed a drama and a love story while in Maasai Mara National Reserve. This movie was an adaptation from the 1937 Novel written by Karen Blixen. The story was based on the true-to-life events of Karen Blixen. Interesting isn’t?
If you want to experience an epic romantic story, this movie is something that you should consider. Karen’s story manifests being a strong woman and believing in true love. How? Well, the gist of the story began like this: She fell in love with Bror, get married, and managed a farm in South Africa. She met Denys who saved her from the lion’s grudge.
When Bror was assigned in the military war, she began having a friendly relationship with Denys. After the military war, Bror and Karen reunited and cherished their moments. However, Karen found out that she was contracted with syphilis which made her filed a divorce against Bror.
Thereafter, the beautiful and romantic story between Karen and Denys began. The sunset, wild-life, and Safari scenes protrude perfectly for this romantic movie. You shouldn’t miss the chance to watch this classic love story movie!
- IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
- Awards: Best Picture, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Best Cinematography, Best Motion Picture – Drama
Adam Carter 
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