What are the best movies per country to watch in anticipation of your trip?

This is a list of (my) favorite movies and movies of my friends. One of my friends stated, while sharing his list: "I looked at the motives and the interaction between the individuals and the situations that brought them to their destinations. Then I looked at the expectations and the reactions of the people who live there. Then I looked at the intricate dance/choreography. Which the times have prescribed for both of them. The country itself is like a canvas on which fate painted."

What are screen productions shot in Africa?

Shot in Kenya

Out of Africa (1985) a movie about colonial Kenya, a Danish plantation owner has a passionate love affair with a free-spirited hunter.

Shot in South Africa

Shaka Zulu (1986) is a South African TV series. Shaka Zulu ruled the Zulu nation from about 1817 until he was assassinated by his half-brothers in 1828.

What are screen productions shot in Asia?

Shot in India

The Darjeeling Limited (2007) about three brothers on a train through India.
The Serpent (2020) a movie and a series about Charles Sobhraj what he does with travelers in India, based on a true story.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) British retirees take up residence in what they believe is a newly restored hotel in India.

Shot in Indonesia

Year of living dangerously (1982) It is about an Australian journalist, Guy Hamilton (Mel Gibson), who arrives in Jakarta (Indonesia) in 1965 and gets caught in a love triangle while covering the turbulent political events leading to the overthrow of President Sukarno.
Eat, pray, love (2010) Italy, India and Indonesia, starring Julia Roberts. Based on a book by Elisabeth Gilbert. Personally I like the books of Elisabeth Gilbert and have read them all.

Shot in Japan

Empire of the Sun (1987) it is autobiographical, about a young English boy who is separated from his family in Shanghai during the Japanese invasion of China in World War II. The film follows his struggle to survive (Japan).

Shot in Singapore

The letter (1940 and 1982) the movie (the movie made for the TV has been recommended as "better") is set in colonial Singapore and is about a woman who shoots a man to death and claims it was to save her honor. It is about the legal proceedings where she is charged with murder, and the mystery of whether she acted in self-defense.

Shot in Thailand

Bangkok Hilton (1983) it is one of my favorites: It is a part Australian TV series happening in Thailand and India. A woman is imprisoned in the notorious "Bangkok Hilton" jail, where she is threatened with the death penalty.
The Beach (2000) adventure drama filmed in Thailand with Leonardo.
Brokedown Palace (1999) about drug smuggling in Thailand.

Shot in Taiwan

Left-handed girl (2025) is about a single mother and her two daughters who return to Taipei, where three generations of women struggle with family secrets, cultural superstitions (especially the ‘devil's hand’ of the youngest left-handed daughter), poverty, and the challenges of life in the big city, with a comical and heartwarming look at motherhood and growing up. A lot of shots of the night markets in Taipei.

Shot in Tibet

7 years in Tibet (1997) is a American biographical war drama film starring Brad Pitt in Tibet.

Shot in Vietnam

The lover (1992) the movie is about a passionate forbidden affair between a teenage French girl and a wealthy, older Chinese man in 1929 Vietnam.
The Deer Hunter (1978) is a movie about the lives of three young men who serve as soldiers in Vietnam.

What are screen productions shot in Australia?

The Wolf Creek (2005) is a horror film, set in the Australian outback. It is about a serial killer in the Australian outback, though the victims are from different countries.

What are screen productions shot in the Caribbean?

Shot in the Virgin Islands

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) my own all-time favorite movie, it is from a book of Stephen King. It is about hardship, and it is full of life lessons.

What are screen productions shot in Europe?

Shot in Austria

Before sunrise (1995) a romantic film where an American and a French student, meet on a train to Vienna (Austria) and spending the evening wandering the city.

Shot in Belgium

My name is Loh Kiwan (2024) Loh Kiwan is a North Korean who travels to Belgium to seek refugee status.

Shot in Czech Republic

Last Holiday (2006) was filmed in the Czech Republic, with key scenes shot at the Grandhotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary. It is about a woman being misdiagnosed with an illness and she decides to follow her dream.

Shot in France

Vagabond (1985) shot in France about a woman and her last weeks before her death, when she did a lot of traveling.

Shot in Greece

Mamma Mia (2008) happening in Skiathos and Skopelos (Greece) about a bride who invites three exes of her mother, and hoping to find her father with Meryl Streep. My favorite beach on Skopelos is not Kastani Beach but Milia beach! And I have seen them all.
Never on Sunday (1960) is a story is about a Greek prostitute in the city of Piraeus.
Zorba the Greek (1964) is a movie about a young Greek writer who travels to Crete to work in a mine, where he makes friend with Alexis Zorba.

Shot in Slovakia

Hostel (2005) is about three backpackers who go to Slovakia and hell awaits them.

Shot in Spain

The Way (2010) was filmed in France and Spain, along the pelgrim route of the Camino de Santiago.
Bird Box Barcelona (2023) about a quest of survival through the streets of Barcelona.
City of Shadows (2025) about murder mystery in Barcelona, nice shots in Gaudi buildings and all areas in Barcelona.
Memories of Alhambra (2018) shots of Spain, but actually a Korean drama.
Package Tour (1980) is a comedy about a man with a fear of flying who travels to the Canary Islands on a package holiday, where he meets a variety of other Swedish tourists.

Shot in Turkey

Midnight Express (1978) the story is in Turkey but filmed in Malta. It is about a man who is arrested for drug smuggling in Istanbul.

What are screen productions shot in the Middle East?

Shot in Jordan

Lawrence of Arabia (1999) a British officer fighting alongside Arab guerrilla forces in the Middle East, specifically in regions that are now part of modern-day Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Shot in Israel

The Kingdom of heaven (2005) France, 1184. Godfrey and his son Balian travel to the Holy Land during the Crusades to help defend Jerusalem against an invasion from the East. The battle for supremacy could erupt at any moment.

What are screen productions shot in the US?

Shot in Alaska

Into the wild (2007) a man leaves his comfortable life to live in the wilderness of US and Alaska.

Shot in the US

Dances with wolves (1990) is about a lieutenant who is assigned to a remote outpost. He becomes friends with a wolf and the Lakota Sioux tribe.
Interview with the vampire (1994) is a movie about Louis de Pointe du Lac, a vampire who tells his life story in flashbacks to a modern-day reporter. It is about the transformation into a vampire and his travels and struggles with humanity and shot in New Orleans, Paris and London.
Bury my heart at Wounded Knee (2007) is about the displacement and subjugation of Native Americans in the American West, particularly the Sioux, during the late 19th century.
Jeremiah Johnson (1972) is a film about man versus nature.
The Straight story (1999) is a movie about an elderly man. He makes a trip on a lawnmower from Iowa all the way to Wisconsin to see his brother.
The Time Travelers (1964) is an American science fiction film set in the United States (US). Filming took place in and around Barstow, California, and locations near Los Angeles, such as the USC campus. It is about a team of scientists who create a portal to the future during an experiment in 1964 and accidentally end up in the year 2071. There they find a devastated Earth ravaged by nuclear war and inhabited by mutated humans.
Twilight (2008) shot in Oregon and Washington about a vampire.
Up in the Air (2009) is an American film, set in the United States and filmed in various cities across the country, including St. Louis, Missouri, and Omaha, Nebraska. It is about a man who has to travel and take a plane for his job often.
Wild (2014) Pacific Crest Trail in the US, based on the book of Cheryl Stayed (also one of my favorite writers). A woman alone walks the Pacific Crest Trail with all the challenges and thoughts that pass.

What are screen productions shot in Middle and South America?

Shot in Colombia

Bogota (2004) is a crime thriller from South Korea. It is a Korean film, though it is set in and was filmed in Bogotá, Colombia, and deals with the story of Korean immigrants.

Shot in Cuba

Our Man in Havana (1959) the movie is about a British expat runs a vacuum cleaner shop in Havana, accepts a job with the British Secret Service.

Shot in Mexico

Y tu mama tambien (2001), a movie happening in Mexico about two teenage boys and an older woman, embark on a road trip.

Shot in Panama

The Tailer of Panama (2001) Ex-criminal Harry is the favorite tailor of Panama's rich and famous. British spy Osnard involves him in a dirty plan to swindle the Panamanian government, but the consequences are incalculable. Based on a book by John Le Carré.

What are screen productions shot in multiple countries all over the world?

The Last Tourist (2021) is a Canadian documentary and shot in more than 16 countries, including Kenya, the Caribbean, and Peru. The movie is about the consequences of mass tourism and discuss the impact.
Unchartered (2022) about finding a treasure and a dangerous trip in various countries.
Motorcycle diaries (2004) I have started to read the book many times, but didn’t have the patience. Biography happening in South America, Argentina, Chile and Peru.
The secret life of Walter Mitty (2013) is about a man who lives in New York City and his assignment lead him to Greenland, Iceland and Afghanistan.
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) is filmed in several countries, including Spain, Germany, and France, to depict 18th-century France. It is about Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, an olfactory genius, and his quest for the perfect perfume.