Location Award 2023
The EUFCN Location Award is the annual prize for European filming locations, organized by EUFCN.
EUFCN member film commissions had the opportunity to submit one location from a feature film or a TV series shot in their territory and released between Oct. 3rd 2022 and Sept. 11th 2023.
The Location Award Jury selected the five locations competing for the 2023 edition of the Award. Voting closed on Jan. 31st, 2024. The winner of the EUFCN Location Award 2023 for Best European Filming Location of the year will be revealed on February 18th, at the European Film Market 2024 in Berlin (invitation only). One lucky name will be picked among the voters and will have the chance to travel to the winning location.
1 Norwegian Film Commission
HELSETKOPEN — Norway
Feature Film: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE —DEAD RECKONING PART ONE
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One showcased ’the biggest stunt in cinema history’ — a daring motorcycle jump off the towering 1246-meter Helsetkopen mountain in Norway, executed by none other than Tom Cruise himself. The monumental production involved hundreds of Norwegian suppliers and professionals and is widely regarded as the biggest production ever filmed on Norwegian soil.
For the motorcycle jump everything from scaffolding, platforms, generators, toilets and concrete elements for securing equipment were transported up to the mountain plateau. Norwegian locations, including Åndalsnes, Hellesylt, Helsetkopen, and Trollveggen in the Northwest region, provided the awe-inspiring backdrop for the film. Notably, Rauma Railway, acclaimed as Europe’s most beautiful railway line, played host to a dramatic key sequence within the film. The filming sequences, set on the Orient Express hurtling through the Austrian Alps, showcases the dramatic versatility of the Norwegian landscape. In the previous instalment, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, a Norwegian mountaintop stood in for the high mountains of Kashmir.
Renowned filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie reflected on the experience, stating, “Norway’s scale and beauty have left an indelible and defining imprint on our film and reminded us that anything is possible”. Close to Helsetkopen is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Geirangerfjord, one of the world’s longest and deepest fjords, with steep crystalline rock walls towering 1,400m from the Norwegian Sea and extending 500m below sea level. The region is both visually stunning and perfect for adventurous travellers keen for one-in-a-lifetime experience.
2 Portugal Film Commission
HOTEL PARQUE DO RIO — Portugal
Feature Film: BAD LIVING
Bad Living by João Canijo’s was shot entirely in a hotel by the sea, in the north coast of Portugal. The hotel Parque do Rio was built in the late sixties and its modernist architecture – cement, wood, very large windows, layered indoors and outdoors – was the perfect setting for this film, where a family of five women live ‘imprisoned’ in their intricate relationships.
In João Canijo’s own words, “The building is great and offers so many plastic and visual possibilities. Many of the scenes were invented just to take advantage of the perspectives the location offered. The hotel is the character that sticks together this family”. The director’s family used to spend their summer holidays in this very same hotel by Ofir Beach, and the building and its surroundings revealed to be more or less the same since then, sixty years later.
Bad Living was shot in early months of 2021, during a covid lockdown. Besides being the sole location of the film, the hotel turned out to be also the home and workplace for the cast and crew for more than 12 weeks. Bad Living, recipient of this year’s Silver Bear – Prize of the Jury at the Berlinale, is Portugal’s submission for Best International Film at the Oscars.
3 Screen Ireland
INIS MÓR — Ireland
Feature Film: THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
Inis Mór, the largest of Ireland’s Aran Islands, is just a 40-minute ferry ride off the country’s western coast. This beautiful, sparse island was a key location for The Banshees of Inisherin, starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as friends turned to bitter enemies.
Director Martin McDonagh noted that he intended Inis Mór to represent Farrell’s character Padraig, embodying his sweet, simple nature – juxtaposed against his rival Colm’s more lyrical personality. Inis Mór was the setting for Padraig’s cottage, perched atop the island and offering breathtaking views of the cliffs and surrounding ocean. Late summer sunsets illuminated the island’s unique karst landscape, dotted with beautiful ruins and limestone hand-built walls. Its ancient Bronze Age fort Dún Aenghusa was the setting for a key scene between Colin Farrell and Barry Keoghan – and permission to film at the historical site was generously granted by Ireland’s Office of Public Works.
A 14-kilometre-long island, Inis Mór posed logistical challenges for the transportation of crew, equipment, vehicles, and sets – all successfully overcome by the hospitality and cooperation of local residents. Its cultural significance includes numerous heritage sites, a native Irish flora and fauna habitat, and a thriving Irish language-speaking culture. The island’s first appearance on screen was in the very first Irish film, Man of Aran (1932) – and its most recent remains a testament to this remarkable location, steeped in Irish film history.
4 Eastern Norway Film Commission
JOTUNHEIMEN — Norway
Feature Film: TROLL
The tagline “Mountains Will Move” identifies the iconic scenes when the mountain awakes and the troll reveals itself, shot in Jotunheimen, in the municipality of Lom. The incredible Jotunheimen mountain range is not only used as a backdrop in the film Troll, but the location is “becoming alive” and plays an active part in the story.
Director Roar Uthaug says that the natural beauty of Jotunheimen also inspired him in the selection of surfaces and colours he implemented in creating the Troll in the film. The film’s spectacular and inventive use of Norwegian nature led to a nomination for the prestigious LMGI Awards, in the category “Outstanding Locations in a Contemporary Feature Film”. Elveseter Hotell, where visitors can trace the footsteps of the Troll, has been a favoured venue of kings, heads of state and adventurers for over 150 years. The hotel is currently run by the sixth generation of the Elveseter family. Magnificent nature, a unique art collection and exquisite cuisine provide a rich experience.
Jotunheimen National Park is home to 29 of the highest mountain peaks in Norway, including Galdhøpiggen (2469 masl), Northern Europe’s highest mountain. In addition to spectacular mountain tours, visitors can enjoy a wealth of memorable experiences such as glacier hiking, cave hiking, fishing, horse riding, Galdhøpiggen summer ski centre, the climbing park, cycling, rafting in Sjoa or a visit to Lom National Park Village.
5 Western Norway Film Commission
ROMSDALEN GONDOLA — Norway
TV Series: SUCCESSION (Season 4)
The choice of Norwegian filming locations in season 4 of Succession lent a striking visual backdrop to the series. The rugged mountains, crisp architecture and dramatic fjords provided a compelling counterpoint to the opulence of the Roy family, enhancing the show’s thematic depth and serving as a metaphor for the rich terrain of human power struggles.
As Succession producer Scott Ferguson explained to Variety: “Norway is a glorious, natural setting. It immediately seemed like a perfect place for a family gathering in the series. We studied different countries, but we realized Norway just has this exceptional landscape — like nowhere else in the world.” Succession is the first show to shoot at the Romsdalen Gondola. The state-of-the-art electric cable car takes you 1679 metres up the mountainside from the fjord. As you ascend, you’ll pass over steep cliffs, rushing waterfalls and lush green forests, all with the stunning Romsdal Alps in the background. This is also Norway’s first gondola built on sustainability principles.
While in Western Norway, Succession also shot at the iconic Juvet Landscape Hotel – previously nominated for the EUFCN Location Award for its defining role in Alex Garland’s Ex Machina, the Atlantic Road and at the Trollstigen mountain pass. The segment was a service produced by Truenorth Norway, and supported by Norway’s 25% cash rebate.
Location Award 2023
THANKS FOR VOTING
One lucky name will be picked among the voters and will have the chance to travel to the winning location.