TENERIFE INSIDER TIPS
Lord of the Rings in Tenerife!
For fans of the Prime Video series Lord of the Rings – The Rings of Power it is probably no longer a secret: the second season is in the making and will be filmed – as we speak – in Tenerife! At the foot of Teide and the area around San Juan de la Rambla, there is a chance that you can catch a glimpse of the shootings. Unfortunately, there is hardly any photo material available so far, so we will have to wait until the shootings are ready and being streamed.
It is not the first time that Tenerife serves as filmset . In recent years, it was mainly streaming sites such as Netflix and Prime Video that chose the island as the ideal filming location. But also the major film studios, including Universal Pictures and Warner Bros., found their way to our little island in the Atlantic Ocean.
Unique decor
It is not surprising that Tenerife is increasingly chosen for the shooting of films and series. The stable climate and the multitude of landscapes, all at a relatively short distance from each other, offer the filmmakers a versatile selection of unique sets.
The most famous filming locations in Tenerife
Numerous national and international films have been shot in Tenerife.. The website WebTenerife provides a very comprehensive overview of almost all productions recorded in Tenerife between 2007 and 2022.
I will briefly comment on a few of the more famous films and series:
Fast and Furious 6 (2013)
The opening scene shows spectacular shots of the Punto de Teno route. This route is currently only available via Titsa-bus during the day, from the village of Buenavista del Norte.
The film, starring Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson en Paul Walker , among others , owes some of its most spectacular scenes to the then-unopened extension of the TF1 highway. As a result, no traffic had to be diverted, and it produces some nice scenes. In the background the unmistakable silhouette of Roque del Conde.
If you drive on the TF1 towards Adeje near Los Menores you will probably also recognize the bridge scene.
Clash of the Titans (2010)
This blockbuster, starring famous names such as Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Mads Mikkelsen, may not be as spectacular as Fast & Furious 6. But it probably offers a better showcase for the impressive nature on Tenerife.
In addition to beautiful shots at the foot of Mount Teide (a popular motif in various productions), there are also spectacular shots along the cliffs of Los Gigantes and Punto del Teno. With (a little) help from computer generated backgrounds. For example , the city of Argos – where Perseus defeats the Kraken – is partly shot in Masca Bay, in the middle of the cliffs.
At the time I was visiting Teide National Park with a friend. Armed with a camera, we hoped to catch a glimpse of some famous faces . Unfortunately, we only managed to take pictures of the catering staff as it was difficult to come close-by. Funny enough, the boat of the opening scene was unguarded in the harbour of Playa San Juan (maybe because it did not really stand out among the local fishing boats), so at least we managed to take a close-up of it.
Sky Rojo (2021 – 2023)
This Netflix - streamed Spanish series is about 3 prostitutes who work in a brothel in Tenerife but try to escape from their pimp. Perhaps a genre that does not appeal to everyone, but if you know that the creator of this series is Aléx Pina , who gained fame with the immensely popular La Casa de Papel (Money Heist), then you know it will be action-packed.
Since the story largely takes place on Tenerife, you would expect that there is a lot of local scenery. Unfortunately, this is not the case, except for a few nice shots at Teide and the lighthouse of Punta de Rasca .
A true Tenerife connoisseur will probably notice that many of the landscapes in the film cannot possibly have been filmed on the island. That's correct, because a large part of the film was shot around Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha . Probably a matter of saving money instead of constantly having to fly the entire production team to Tenerife. A bit of a shame, but well, it's not precisely a nature documentary either, is it?
This was just a small selection of the many productions filmed on the island, not to mention Rambo: Last Blood (2019), Jason Bourne (2016) and Han Solo (2018). As residents, we don't always know upfront when or what is being filmed, except for when a big casting call is being made for extras. Then it seems like half of Tenerife is queuing up at the castings to participate in the movie.
If you yourself have ambitions to participate in a casting in the future, you may want to contact the film company Sur Film. This company worked on many of the larger films shot on the island. In this link useful info and contact information.
That’s all Folks! Stay safe and Hasta Pronto!
