How Globe-Trotting Locations and Foreign Tax Incentives Helped Propel ‘Dune 2,’ ‘Queer,’ ‘Maria’ and Other Contenders Into the Oscar Race
variety.comChristopher Vourlias This year’s Academy Award contenders take audiences on journeys across space and time, from the Colosseum of ancient Rome to the drug dens of mid-century Mexico City, from the cramped confines of a network TV studio to the infinite sandscapes of a far-off planet.
Making these Oscar hopefuls took a variety of factors, including peerless production design, a range of foreign tax incentives, the work of countless location scouts and a bit of moviemaking sleight of hand to transform even familiar places into entirely unexpected destinations.
Here’s where filming took place for some of Variety’s favorite movies heating up this award season: ConclavePerhaps a papal dispensation might’ve allowed Edward Berger’s Vatican drama to shoot in the Sistine Chapel, but the production team opted for a no-less-formidable Rome institution, Cinecittà Studios, to build a stunning replica.
The chapel and the palatial Casa Santa Marta were built on stage 15 — one of the studio’s largest and most versatile facilities — with set construction performed by a team of 50 skilled artisans.
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