Noah

Darren Aronofsky shot Noah (2014) in Iceland in 2012, filming mostly on the Reykjanes peninsula, with further scenes on the south coast at Reynisfjara and Dyrhólaey.

Iceland's volcanic terrain stands in for the world before the flood, where Noah (Russell Crowe) and his family live. The filmmakers wanted to move away from the yellow-sand look of earlier biblical epics, and found that contrast in dark lava fields and black-sand coastline. Aronofsky had been travelling to Iceland for many years before the production and had long seen it as a place to shoot.

Iceland locations

• Reykjanes peninsula. The majority of the Iceland scenes were filmed here, at locations chosen for easy access and low risk of damage to the terrain.
• Kleifarvatn. The lake on the Reykjanes peninsula, set among dark volcanic slopes.
• Raufarhólshellir. One of Iceland's longest lava tubes, east of Reykjavík.
• Reynisfjara. The black-sand beach near Vík, beneath the Reynisdrangar sea-stacks, was closed to visitors for two days of filming, in agreement with landowners and the local municipality.
• Dyrhólaey. The coastal headland just west of Reynisfjara, also used during the south-coast shoot.

Behind the scenes

Aronofsky has said that the locations chosen in Iceland set the look for the whole film, with colours throughout the production drawn from the Icelandic landscape. Around 80 Icelanders worked on the shoot as extras, many of them members of the Reykjavík martial arts club Mjölnir.

“I just think it's an amazing landscape which hasn't been shot…” (Darren Aronofsky, ComingSoon.net, 2014)

More about filming in Iceland

• Iceland's production incentive
• Production service companies
• Filming in Iceland: locations and logistics

For specific enquiries, contact the Iceland Film Commission.