“Marseille 46°C, 3 roommates, a mysterious neighbor”…all these films on show filmed in the Marseille city

Two films made in France’s second city are currently being screened at the cinema. In “Women on the Balcony” and “Fotogenico”, the directors put Marseille in the spotlight. The opportunity to return to these successes of the 7th art filmed in the Marseille city, from “Taxi” to “Count of Monte Cristo”, including “A Prophet”.

“Marseille 46°C. 3 roommates. 1 mysterious neighbor”. Here is what is written on the poster for Noémie Merlant’s new film, Women on the balconyreleased this Wednesday, December 16 in cinemas. This horror film-style comedy tells the story of three roommate friends fantasizing about their neighbor, in the middle of a heatwave, before everything changes. Filmed entirely in Marseille in the summer of 2023, for more than a month, the director’s second feature film offers a primordial place to the Marseille city. Noémie Merlant, who fell in love with the city as a teenager, chose its emblematic sites as settings such as the Longchamp district, the Corniche Kennedy and the Catalans beach.

This week, another film shot exclusively in Marseille is screened in theaters: Fotogenico. This feature film directed by Marcia Romanao and Benoît Sabatier features a father, played by Christophe Paou, retracing the footsteps of his deceased daughter. Between squats, crowded beaches and strange nightclubs, the directors film Marseille from an angle rarely seen in cinema.

Last year, 14 feature films were shot in the Marseille city and filming continues this year. Director Cédric Jimenez, known in particular for his film North Bachas once again chosen Marseille as the setting for his next feature film, “Chien 51“. He set up his cameras in the northern districts for this film adaptation of Laurent Gaudé’s novel telling the story of a Paris monitored by Artificial Intelligence in 2045. The film, notably starring Gilles Lelouche and Adèle Exarchopoulos, will be released in theaters on October 15 2025.

Marseille is regularly chosen by directors to shoot their films. Several feature films made in the city have enjoyed great success in recent years. The most recent being The Counts of Monte Cristo by Mathieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière. Shot between Paris, Occitanie and the Pyrénées-Orientales, the film naturally highlights the Château d’If, off the coast of Marseille. Edmond Dantès, played by Pierre Niney, is accused of complicity with Napoleon. He was then locked up on the island for more than 15 years. With more than 9 million spectators, this scene attracted many visitors after the film’s release in June.

Other older films shot in Marseille have also been very successful. This is the case of North Bac filmed in the northern neighborhoods by Cédric Jimenez, released in 2021 and arriving 5^th box office in France that year. His feature film has recorded more than 2.2 million admissions.

The same year, Marseille attracted the American actor Matt Damon to its streets for the film Stillwater. And he’s not the only American who loves it. Marseille appears in other great successes of American productions: Catch me if you can by Steven Spielberg, with a scene filmed at Baumettes, or even Love actually with the legendary romantic reunion scene filmed in the Panier district and the Bar de la Marine on the Old Port.

A Marseille setting which was also used by director Jean-Bernard Marlin in 2018 with the release of his film Scheherazade. A love story between a young boy without reference and a prostitute who won several César awards: that of best first film and those of best female and male hopefuls for the two main actors, Kenza Fortas and Dylan Robert.

Almost 10 years earlier, in 2010, the Césars rewarded another film shot in the Marseille city with the prize for best film: A Prophetby Jacques Audiard, produced in Baumettes prison. Finally, among the many films shot in Marseille, the first part of the saga Taxiproduced by Luc Besson, attracted 6.5 million curious people to the cinema in 1998.

The Marseille city is the most filmed city in France after Paris, according to the Marseille municipality. There are several reasons for this. In addition to the particularly mild weather, with 300 days of sunshine on average per year, the city offers filmmakers unique outdoor filming locations: from creeks to picturesque neighborhoods and its industrial-port sites. HAS This is in addition to the numerous technical teams already present on site. In 2021, according to the municipality of Marseille, the city had 7,880 extras, nearly 800 actors and more than 2,500 technicians.

Finally, the success of Marseille is also due to its film sets and studios worthy of major American productions. The Media center at Belle de Mai, like Provence Studios in Martigues, attracts numerous film crews each year. Last year, the municipality recorded 1,113 days of filming for more than €61 million in economic benefits.