- MAD MAX CREW KICKED OUT OF NAMIBIA AFRICA HOW TO
- MAD MAX CREW KICKED OUT OF NAMIBIA AFRICA CRACKED
- MAD MAX CREW KICKED OUT OF NAMIBIA AFRICA MOVIE
Image: YouTubeĪs inviting as all the incentives are, there are some downsides.Īlthough Namibia is an upper-middle income country, half the country lives below the poverty line.
MAD MAX CREW KICKED OUT OF NAMIBIA AFRICA MOVIE
is another Hollywood movie that showcases Namibia's scenery. "The economy booms when a film comes."ġ0,000 B.C. "Locals benefit by getting jobs, which means they can then pay taxes and send their kids to the dentist and give their money to church," says Emvula. In 2012, the Guardian reported that the film brought in more than $38 million, employing about 900 local staff. When a movie like Mad Max comes to town, he explains, jobs are created, hotel rooms are booked, cars are rented, fuel is purchased, restaurants are busy and retail shops sell goods.
MAD MAX CREW KICKED OUT OF NAMIBIA AFRICA HOW TO
The idea, he says, is to have people who know how to work in the industry when the opportunity arrives.Īll of this will help increase what Emvula calls "film tourism" in an economy dependent on exporting minerals like diamonds and uranium.
This includes marketing efforts to get more movies made in Namibia and training in film production for locals. To stay competitive, Emvula says Namibia's film industry is working with the government to provide more incentives for international film, documentary and TV companies. The desert scenes in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, were shot in Morocco, for example, while The Martian's red rocks were found in Jordan. films shot in Namibia in the early 2000s, but interest slowed because of the global recession - it's expensive to film abroad. And because the country has only 2.3 million people (compare that to Nigeria's 177 million) it's easier to get shots of the natural environment without people in them. Films can shoot almost any time: there are 300 days of sunshine a year. There are five-star hotels with Internet access within 30 minutes of some of the most striking scenery in the coastal areas. "It's the perfect setting for film."Īside from the country's stunning landscapes, it has the infrastructure to welcome huge casts and crews, says Emvula. "Namibia is an unknown and virgin territory," says Emvula. Its towering dunes in Southern Namib, its moonlike rock formations in the Namib Escarpment and the bottomless Fish River Canyon, the second largest canyon in the world, have been used as set locations for feature films like 2001: A Space Odyssey from 1968, The Cell from 2000 and 10,000 B.C. In fact, the southwestern African country is no stranger to Hollywood. "American companies now know that there is a place like Namibia," he says. So he's working hard to bring the local film industry up to world-class standards. Since Mad Max premiered in Cannes last May, his group, which coordinated locations for the film when it was shot in 2012, has seen an increase in inquiries from global film companies. "We had the most amazing crew."įor Obed Emvula, chairman of the government-run Namibia Film Commission, the Oscar buzz was music to his ears.
"It was a year of our lives in the Namibian desert," said Jenny Beavan in her acceptance speech for best costume design.
MAD MAX CREW KICKED OUT OF NAMIBIA AFRICA CRACKED
Crimson sand dunes, cracked desert floors, big open skies and landscapes that look like paintings - it's no wonder why Namibia was name-checked four times at the Academy Awards for helping Mad Max: Fury Road take home six Oscars - the biggest haul of the night.