“THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES”
“The Hunger Games” prequel was filmed in Germany – these were the locations
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“The Hunger Games – The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” opens in German cinemas in mid-November. As with the previous parts, most of the filming took place in Germany. The German backdrops at a glance.
The majority of the filming of “The Hunger Games – The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” took place in and around Berlin.
© Murray Close/Lionsgate
But it’s not just the storyline that makes “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” a highlight for German Panem fans: a lot of scenes for the prequel were filmed in Germany, including Potsdam, Leipzig, Cologne, Hattingen, Duisburg and, above all, Berlin . At the press conference before the film’s European premiere, the director emphasized Francis Lawrencewho was already responsible for the previous “Panem” parts: “Berlin is a fantastic city. We got the locations we needed here.”
“The Hunger Games” prehistory: Berlin as a historical filming location
Uli Hanisch was responsible for the selection of the German sets, who tried to orientate himself on Berlin in the 50s and 60s when selecting the backdrop for the science fiction hit. In the capital in particular, there were ideal conditions for the historical aspect of the film, “because we find the Empire, the ‘Third Reich’ and the GDR/East Berlin in the buildings,” says Hanisch. The production managed almost without purely virtual landscapes.
10 pictures
And so some viewers may recognize one or two locations in the prequel. Relevant scenes are said to have been filmed on the Museum Island and in front of the Stalin buildings at Strausberger Platz in Berlin Friedrichshain, with the backdrop in the film being the megapolis Future should function.
The backdrop of Berlin’s Museum Island serves to represent the futuristic Capitol
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The Stalin buildings on Strausberger Platz
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The appearance of the Olympic Stadium is also used in “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”, with the arena said to have been digitally raised by three floors and placed in front of a fictional skyline.
View of the Berlin Olympic Stadium
© IMAGO / Westend61
The anatomical theater of the Charité, the Altes Museum and the Treptow crematorium also served as a film backdrop.
The anatomical theater on Berlin’s Luisenstrasse
© IMAGO / Günter Schneider
The Old Museum at the Lustgarten is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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The crematorium in the Treptow district of Berlin
© Getty Images
In Leipzig was filmed at the Battle of the Nations Monument, among other places.
The The Battle of the Nations Monument in Leipzig is the tallest monument in Europe
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The now fifth Hunger Games film takes place during the tenth Hunger Games. Lucy Gray Baird, a girl from the 12th District, is appointed as a tribute to take part in the murderous games. The aspiring Coriolanus Snow is appointed her mentor and – despite initial difficulties – falls in love with Lucy. Mentors prepare their assigned tributes for survival in the arena and develop strategies to ensure their longevity in the Hunger Games.
Ultimately, they themselves benefit from the perseverance of their protégés in the fight for survival – they receive money and advance socially with the victory of their tribute. And Coriolanus is also primarily interested in the prize money so that he can finance his studies. In the end, the question arises as to how strong the love is between the two fundamentally different people – and whether it can defy Coriolanus’s intrinsic desire.
Plays in the new “Panem” film Rachel Zegler stars as Lucy Gray Baird
© Murray Close/Lionsgate
The film stars Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird and Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow. Viola Davis takes on the role of the brutal game maker as Dr. Volumnia Gaul, which will take the deadly competitions invented by Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage) in a new direction. Also seen: “Euphoria” star Hunter Schafer as stylist Tigris Snow and Jason Schwartzman as presenter Lucretius Flickerman, who guides the audience through the Hunger Games and was already seen in the first four films.
German actors also involved in the project
The international nature of the film project also means that, in addition to Zegler, Blyth and Dinklage, several German actors are taking part in the production, including Irene Böhm (“Babylon Berlin”), Dimitri Abold (“Beckenrand Sheriff”), Luna Kruse (“Schloss Einstein”) and Kjell Brutscheidt (“Polizeiruf 110”).
“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” will be released in German cinemas on November 16, 2023.
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