In the period of the 60’s until the 80’s of the last century, Adriatic film was often associated with superlatives such as the largest production company and the strongest film studio in all of Central Europe at that time. He attracted numerous directors and actors to film projects, such as, for example, the cult Orson Welles, who in 1962 decided to make the film The Process based on Kafka’s novel in Croatia. The cult drama Sophie’s Choice, starring Meryl Streep (Oscar-winning role), is associated with Jadran film on various croatia filming locations. This is just a small part of the cult films – there is also a film about Isadora Duncane with Vanessa Redgrave in the lead role, films about Winnetou that were shot throughout the most beautiful natural resources of Croatia, High Road to China with Tom Selleck and many others.

Filming on island of Vis

On the beautiful island of Vis, on October 10, 2017, the last klapa of the Croatian part of the filming of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, the sequel to the great cinema hit of 2008, which proved to be an equally great success at the box office.

The second sequel to the famous film musical became the most watched summer film in Croatia in 2018, after it premiered to the public at the Pula Film Festival that summer. The movie production crew in croatia spent 24 days filming on Vis, while more than 270 Croatian film workers were engaged on the set. Although Croatia pretended to be Greece in the film, director Ol Parker was enchanted by the beauties of the island and pointed out that in future shootings Croatia should be Croatia, in order to attract even more tourists to its fairytale coast. The film sequel to the hit starred Lily James as the young Donna Sheridan (played by Meryl Streep in the first sequel). After graduating from college, Donna goes on a crazy trip to Europe where she will meet Bill, Harry and Sam, and we jump from Donna’s past to the present of her daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) and discover additional nuances of the already ingenious story.

Opatija

In 2013, the beautiful Opatija became the backdrop of a film story about Princess Diana. Diana’s biographical film revolved around the last two years of the famous princess’s life, her relationship with Dr. Hasnat Khan and the events that led to the tragic accident in 1997 in which she lost her life. Diana was embodied by Naomi Watts.

Among the locations where the filming took place was the Lone Hotel in Rovinj. It served as the venue for a gala event held in Australia in 1996. The film showed the splendor of Opatija, its fascinating buildings and the Riviera, and was shot in Zagreb and Rovinj, as well as in Italy and India. An episode of the McMafia series and the film Move On with the excellent Mads Mikkelsen were also filmed in fairytale Opatija.

Film makers love Rovinj

Istria, and especially Rovinj, is a frequent choice for service production company filmmakers precisely because of the combination of architecture and natural beauty. The fact that it has Italian charm and architecture certainly helps, which is why it is an excellent alternative to cities in Italy. Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard is a sequel to the hugely successful action comedy Hitman’s Bodyguard starring Samuel L. Jackson, Ryan Reynolds and Salma Hayek. Filming in Croatia lasted 49 days, and although it was filmed in Zagreb and Rijeka, the most prominent are the scenes in Rovinj. The Istrian town plays Italy, and the film follows Michael Bryce (Reynolds), who after losing his license goes on vacation in search of a “spiritual awakening”. But his mental harmony is disturbed when Sonia Kinacid (Salma Hayek) appears in a frantic burst of bullets and under the threat of a weapon forces him to go with her to save Darius (Samuel L. Jackson).

Rijeka common filming location

Kvarner next to Opatija has another common film location – Rijeka! Some of the aforementioned films were made in Rijeka, but the most famous is certainly the film story of Isadora Duncan, a world-famous ballerina who lived in the 1920s and left a world mark on ballet.

The film was shot largely in Rijeka, and partly in Opatija, Mošćenička draga and Zagreb’s Maksimir. The White Crow by the famous actor Ralph Fiennes was filmed in Rijeka and the Rijeka Theater. The film follows another key figure of the ballet, Robert Nureyev, and almost all the dance scenes were filmed over 10 days at the Ivan pl. Zajc in Rijeka.

Island of Korcula

Ten years ago, Korcula also appeared on the movie production croatia screen after the film Venuto Al Mondo with Penelope Cruz in the lead role was shot there. Cruz played the mysterious Gemma who goes on a trip to Sarajevo with her 16-year-old son Pietro.

They return to that city years after fleeing in the middle of the war, while Gemma’s husband and Pietro’s father stayed there and died. However, the trip to Sarajevo leads us to a plot twist about who Gemma really is and who the people she met in Sarajevo after so many years are. Apart from Korčula, the film was shot in Orebić in Croatia, and Penelope Cruz stayed in the area with her husband Javier Bardem and then young son Leo.

Filming in town of Split

Salma Hayek recorded another blockbuster in Croatia. It’s a Bliss movie starring Owen Wilson. A film with elements of science fiction was filmed at numerous locations in Split, such as Prokurative and Riva and the famous Meštrović Gallery. Wilson plays the newly divorced Greg who was fired.

By chance, he meets Isabel, a woman who lives on the street and is convinced that the gloomy world around them is just a simulation, not reality. Split has also become the center of Netflix’s production in charge of the 2018 Ibiza film. Shortly after the release of the trailer, the Government of Ibiza considered a lawsuit against the production for presenting the beaches and streets of Split and Zrće as a location from the Spanish island. The film also stars some famous names such as Richard Madden (Game of Thrones) and Gillian Jacobs (Love).