The Apulia Film Commission (www.apuliafilmcommission.it) is the region’s main reference point for producers and film-makers. Its role includes promoting Puglia as a location, organising logistical support, providing funding and sponsoring regional film festivals. In just over 10 years it has been involved with more than 500 productions.
Cinema’s most famous spy dropped into Puglia in autumn 2019. Gravina di Puglia set the epic stage for several scenes in No Time to Die, the latest James Bond film. Star of the show was the town’s spectacular Aqueduct bridge which appeared in one of the film’s headline stunts. This breathtaking sequence involved Daniel Craig leaping off the towering structure as his trigger-happy enemies close in.
Castel del Monte doubled as part of the fictional island of Themyscira during the 2016 shoot of Wonder Woman. Puglia’s signature castle was one of several Italian locations used in the blockbuster, alongside Matera in neighbouring Basilicata and Palinuro in Campania.
Castel del Monte also appeared in director Matteo Garrone’s 2015 Tale of Tales. It was one of two regional castelli that provided a suitably medieval setting – the other was Gioia del Colle’s formidable Norman-Swabian castle. Garrone returned to Puglia with Roberto Benigni in 2019 to film his version of Pinocchio. Several regional locations were used on the shoot including Ostuni, Polignano a Mare, Fasano, Noicattaro, Altamura and the Alta Murgia National Park.
Another big-name Italian director who knows Puglia well is Ferzan Ozpetek. His 2010 comedy Loose Cannons - Special Jury Price at Tribeca Film Festival – featured locations in Gallipoli and Lecce, a city to which he returned for his 2014 film Fasten Your Seatbelts, along with locations in Otranto and Maglie.
Coming in the wake of Abba tribute film Mamma Mia!, the feel-good 2014 musical Walking on Sunshine sets 80’s hits against Pugliese backdrops. Locations in Lecce, Nardò and Presicce are jauntily juxtaposed against a soundtrack of pop classics by the likes of Simple Minds, Human League, Wham and many others.
As well as cinema films, Puglia has also starred in TV productions. UK viewers were introduced to the delights of its regional cuisine by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver in an episode of his 2018 series Jamie Cooks Italy. A different perspective to the region was provided by Homes by the Med, a British Channel 4 series which dedicated an episode to the region, showcasing property in Polignano a Mare and Alberobello.
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