I'm Still Here
Sinners
GLADIATOR II
A tapestry of landscapes brings antiquity to life and amplifies
the film's themes of empire, power and destiny. In the earthen
ochre kasbahs of Ait Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate in Morocco,
the arid expanses and fortified walls evoke the vastness of
the Roman Empire's reach, setting the stage for epic battles
and political intrigue. The imposing architecture of Malta's
Fort Ricasoli is a formidable stand-in for the Colosseum where
combat and spectacle clash. Gladiator training scenes are
captured within the walls of nearby Fort Manoel, while Mdina's
Palazzo Vilhena doubles as an ancient palace. Together,
locations immerse us in a world where every dusty stone
echoes with the weight of history, underscoring the tension
between grandeur and brutality and the relentless march of
ambition that defines the Empire's legacy.
I'M STILL HERE
This historical drama portrays the emotional turmoil suffered
by Rubens Paiva's family after the Brazilian Congressman is
abducted by the country's military dictatorship. Set in 1970s
Rio de Janeiro, the film meticulously recreates the era's
spirit through carefully chosen locations, blending real and
reconstructed settings. From a sunlit beachfront home that
radiates warmth and nostalgia to the bleak, repurposed spaces
representing torture cells, every scene contrasts personal joy
with political darkness. The quaint Leblon neighborhood, with
its iconic beach, the family home and local ice cream shop no
longer exists as it once was—but is ingeniously reimagined
using a patchwork of beaches and period-perfect buildings
found around the city. The military complex, recreated using a
police base and a deactivated ward in a mental hospital, offers
a brutal account of life under authoritarian rule.
SINNERS
In this Southern gothic horror film, twin brothers return
to their hometown in 1930s Mississippi and discover a
sinister evil has taken hold there. Neighboring Louisiana,
with its unique topography, and a culture steeped in
folklore and spirituality, brings the Jim Crow era to life
with a supernatural twist. The Bogalusa Railroad Station
pulses with the thrill of liberation and movement, Laurel
Valley Plantation echoes with the ghosts of oppression
and Donaldsonville's historic Railroad Avenue transforms
into a 1930s street that captures the tense atmosphere of
the segregated South. The abandoned cotton mill-turned-
juke joint, constructed on an abandoned golf course in
Braithwaite, serves as a central place of community and
the site of a bloody climactic battle. These vividly rendered
settings—from eerie rural stretches to tightly knit small
towns—weave a dramatic tale of history, identity and bloody
redemption.
Gladiator II
