European Film Commissions Network (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 ((invitation only). One lucky name will be picked among the voters and will have the chance to travel to the winning location. Below are the 5 finalists:
HELSETKOPEN — Norway
Norwegian Film Commission
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE —DEAD RECKONING PART ONE (Feature Film) showcased “the biggest stunt in cinema history” – a daring motorcycle jump off the towering 1246 meter Helsetkopen, executed by none other than Tom Cruise. The monumental production involved hundreds of Norwegian suppliers and professionals and is widely regarded as the biggest production ever filmed on Norwegian soil.
HOTEL PARQUE DO RIO — Portugal
Portugal Film Commission
BAD LIVING (Feature Film) 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.
Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell in the film THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN. Photo by Jonathan Hession. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2022 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved
Screen Ireland
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN (Feature Film) INIS MÓR, the largest of Ireland’s Aran Islands, is 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 Glesson as friends turned to bitter enemies.
Troll. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022
Eastern Norway Film Commission
TROLL (Feature Film) 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.
ROMSDALEN GONDOLA — Norway
Western Norway Film Commission
SUCCESSION (TV Series: 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.
