A Map of the Oscars: Where Do These Oscar Nominated Films Take Place?

The 2013 Oscar nominations were released earlier this week. The 9 films nominated for best picture represent some of the highest achievements in movie making this year. mapsales.com takes a look at the unique settings and locations of some of these films.

 Amour – France

Written and directed by Michael Haneke, this French-language film has already garnered praise worldwide and has won awards at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival and the 47th National Society of Film Critics Awards.  The story centers on an elderly French couple and their struggles dealing with love and death.  The streets, cafes, and quaint apartments of Paris add to the film’s realist tone. 

Argo – Iran

This taught thriller, loosely based on true events, tells the story of a CIA plot to rescue 6 US ambassadors from Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis of 1979.  CIA operatives—played by a cast led by Ben Affleck and Bryan Cranston—pose as Canadian filmmakers scouting film locations in Iran.  Their plan is to save the now-in-hiding ambassadors by integrating them into their film crew.  While the film is supposed to take place in Iran, filming actually occurred in Istanbul, Turkey and Los Angeles, California. 

Life of Pi – India & Canada

Though a majority of director Ang Lee’s movie takes place in the Pacific Ocean, many of the early and later scenes are set in Pondicherry, India and Montreal, Canada.  Life of Pi is based on Yann Martel’s 2001 novel of the same name.  It follows the adventures of a young Indian boy named Pi, after he is shipwrecked with his family’s zoo animals.  The movie boasts impressive performances and eye-popping visual effects. 

Beasts of the Southern Wild – Louisiana

Set in a region of the Louisiana bayou called Bathtub, a father and his young daughter have to survive amidst a catastrophic storm.  The movie, written by Benh Zeitlin and Lucy Alibar, has already gathered Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actress. 

Zero Dark Thirty – Pakistan

Kathryn Bigelow’s drama is based on the real-life manhunt for terrorist Osama bin Laden.  Although it has garnered its fair share of criticism, mainly based on its depictions of torture, the movie is a grand achievement of film making.  Set in Pakistan, the movie was actually filmed in Chandigarh, India. 

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