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'Blood Diamond' (2006) - Set during the Sierra Leone Civil War, this fast-paced political war thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Connelly was actually filmed in Mozambique.

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'The Fifth Element' (1997) - Luc Besson's stylish science-fiction thriller was partly filmed in Mauritania.

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'Gorillas in the Mist' (1988) - The true story of naturalist Dian Fossey, played by Sigourney Weaver, was filmed in Rwanda.

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'The White Masai' (2005) - A German production, this carefully crafted drama about a European women falling in love with a handsome Masai warrior takes place in Kenya.

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'The African Queen' (1951) -

A Hollywood classic that brought together Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn under John Huston's direction, this World War I drama was shot in Uganda and the Belgium Congo (now the Democratic Republic of Congo).

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'Black Hawk Down' (2001) - Ridley Scott's gripping depiction of the Battle for Mogadishu took place not in Somalia, but instead was recreated in the Moroccan cities of Rabat and Salé.

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'The Battle of Algiers' (1966) - Italian film director Gillo Pontecorvo's seminal feature starring Jean Martin and Saadi Yacef was filmed entirely on location in the Algerian capital.

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'Cry Freedom' (1987) - Based on real-life events involving black activist Steve Biko (starring Denzel Washington as Biko), the film was primarily shot on location in Zimbabwe and in Kenya, though it is in fact set in South Africa.

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'Zulu' (1964) -

The film that launched Michael Caine's career was filmed on location in South Africa, not far from Rorke's Drift, the site of the 1879 battle between 150 British soldiers and a force of 4,000 Zulu warriors.

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'Quest for Fire' (1981) - Filming of Jean-Jacques Annaud's fantasy adventure took place partly in Kenya.

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'The Constant Gardener' (2005) - Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz star in this political thriller directed by Brazilian Fernando Meirelles. Based on events that took place in Nigeria, the filming actually took place in Kenya.

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'Tsotsi' (2005) - Set in a Johannesburg slum, the film tells the story of Tsotsi, a young street thug who steals a car only to discover a baby in the back seat.

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'Out of Africa' (1985) - Robert Redford and Meryl Streep appeared in this film (based loosely on the book 'Out of Africa' by Danish author Karen Blixen), which was mostly shot in Kenya.

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'Moolaadé' (2004) - Filmed in the remote village of Djerrisso, Burkina Faso, Senegalese director Ousmane Sembène's fine example of humanist cinema tackled the controversial subject of female genital mutilation.

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'Gallipoli' (1981) - Directed by Peter Weir and starring Mark Lee and Mel Gibson, the film's pyramid and bazaar scenes were filmed on location in Egypt.

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'A Girl from Mogadishu' (2019) - A true story based on the testimony of Somalia-born Ifrah Ahmed, one of the world’s foremost international activists against gender-based violence, Morocco stood in as the war-torn East African nation.

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'District 9' (2009) - 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' director Peter Jackson co-produced this hugely successful science-fiction offering, which was filmed in Soweto, South Africa.

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'Hotel Rwanda' (2004) - As you'd expect from the film's title, principal filming took place in Kigali, Rwanda. Other scenes were filmed in Johannesburg, South Africa.

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'Invictus' (2009) - This Clint Eastwood-directed sports drama starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon plays out in South Africa.

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'The Comedians' (1967) - Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor appeared in their seventh film together in this political drama that, while set in Haiti, was actually filmed in Dahomey (today known as Benin).

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'King Solomon's Mines' (1950) - Starring Deborah Kerr and Stewart Granger, this second adaption of the 1885 novel by H. Rider Haggard was filmed in a number of locations including Uganda and the Belgium Congo (now the Democratic Republic of Congo).

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'Death on the Nile' (1978) - All all-star cast, including Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot, assembled in Egypt for this entertaining adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel of the same name.

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'The Message' (1976) - Syrian-American producer and director Moustapha Akkad shot this film, which starred Anthony Quinn, in Morocco and Libya.

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'Patton' (1970) - An early scene in this celebrated World War II drama supposedly depicting Carthage, was in fact shot in the ancient Roman city of Volubilis, in Morocco.

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'Mogambo' (1953) -

Hollywood heartthrob Clark Gable teamed up with Grace Kelly and Ava Gardner for this romantic adventure, which was filmed on locations in Kenya, Uganda, and French Congo (present day Republic of the Congo).

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'The Snows of Kilimanjaro' (1952) -

The highest mountain in Africa provided the dramatic backdrop for this film, based on a short story by Ernest Hemingway. The action takes place in Kenya.

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'Timbuktu' (2014) - Directed by Abderrahmane Sissako, this highly regarded film depicts real-life events in Timbuktu, Mali, but was actually shot in Oualata, a town in southeast Mauritania.

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'Tragedy of the Desert' (1912) -

One of the earliest films to be shot on the African continent, in Luxor, Egypt, this silent movie was directed by Canadian Sidney Olcott.

See also: Superstars of the silent film era.

© Public Domain