When you think of Hollywood stars, you usually think about the actors, but what about the stunning backdrops that give these films their X-factor? The islands of Fiji are stars in their own right, setting the perfect scene for shipwrecks, damsels in distress or capturing paradise.
Here’s a collection of five of the best films and TV shows that have used Fiji’s idyllic location as their stage.
1. Castaway
WILSON! Tom Hanks’ iconic role as Chuck Noland, the FedEx employee stranded on an uninhabited island after his plane crashes in the South Pacific, hit our screens in 2000.
The epic survival drama was filmed on Monuriki, one of the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji. Now, tourists make the pilgrimage to the island where Tom and Wilson filmed key scenes.
2. The Blue Lagoon
The 1949 version starring Jean Simmons and Donald Houston was filmed on the stunning Yasawa Islands. Yasawa’s soaring peaks and natural beauty made a perfect backdrop for two shipwrecked children growing up on a tropical island.
Fun fact: The Yasawa Islandsmakeupp Fiji’s western border and were actually forbidden to set foot on until the 1950s. Lucky they were able to film there!
A few years later, Fiji welcomed Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins to Nanuya Levu, Yasawa to film the remake. The movie garnered a lot of hype and was nominated for an Academy Award. Day trips and tours can be organised to visit the Sawa-I-Lau Caves where some of the iconic scenes were filmed.
3. Survivor
Vanua Levu.
“The tribe has spoken.” Survivor filmed their 14th season in the Macuata province, on Fiji’s second largest island, Vanua Levu.
Most of the challenges throughout the season were held on Katawaga Island, Tivi Island, Vatudamu Point, and LONG THE Wainikoro River. The contestants fighting it out for their ‘reward getaways’ were taken to Namale Resort and Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort in the of town of Savusavu.
4. The Dove
This film is a real-life tale about Robin Lee Graham, a 16-year-old boy who sets sail in a 23-foot sloop in attempt to be the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo. Talk about brave!
In the story, he falls in love with the gregarious and attractive Patti Gatteree and they meet in Fiji. The 1974 movie was filmed in locations throughout the world including Suva, Fiji.
5. Nate and Hayes (also known as Savage Island)
Jenny Seagrove in Nate and Hayes.
Described as a ‘swashbuckling adventure’, Nate and Hayes was filmed on location in Pacific Harbour, just out of Suva, in the early 1980s. The story takes place in the late 19th century on the South Pacific islands where bloody raid and battles were once the rule of the date. The movie starred Tommy Lee Jones, Michael O’Keefe and Jenny Seagrove.
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