SWAKOPMUND, Namibia -- Out in the rolling red dunes stretching for hundreds of miles from this palm-lined resort lie the remains of some wrecked C-119 cargo planes.
They're the latest evidence of Hollywood's growing infatuation with the Namibian desert -- sets for "Flight of the Phoenix," a 20th Century Fox remake of the 1965 adventure set in Mongolia's Gobi Desert.
Namibia may not be an obvious stand-in, but it beat out other locations scouted in China, Chile, South Africa and the United States.
"Not only does Namibia have the tallest dunes, but it also has the perfect climate, because it is close to the ocean," said production designer Patrick Lumb. "It is ideal, because it looks isolated and inaccessible, when in actual fact we're 10 minutes away from Swakopmund."
Peaceful Remote Luxury
Swakopmund, home to about 30,000 people, is a popular resort on the Atlantic coast with numerous restaurants and outdoor cafes. Those were packed with cast and crew from the United States, Britain, South Africa and 15 other countries during the four-month film shoot.
"I tell my wife I'm roughing it, but I'm not," said Wyck Godfrey, an executive producer from Los Angeles. "It's like a tourist town."
"Flight of the Phoenix" was the latest in a series of big-budget Hollywood movies shot here in recent years, including "The Cell" (2000), "Beyond Borders" (2003) and "The Young Black Stallion" (2003). There have also been film productions from India, Italy, Poland and Britain, and documentaries, commercials and music videos are regularly shot here.
Still, this southern African country remains relatively undiscovered as a film location, said Guy Nockles, the movie's Namibian unit production manager. "It is new, has variety and is a great location," he said.
Namibia has decent infrastructure and a government eager to help international film productions get what they need.
The movie work is a boost for an economy in which more than a third of the population lives on less than $1 a day.
Business was booming in Swakopmund during filming of "Flight of the Phoenix" -- particularly at the popular fish restaurant The Tug, which was frequented by director John Moore and lead actor Dennis Quaid.
Add up the money spent on accommodation, restaurants and other personal expenses, and the movie put $35.3 million into the local economy, Nockles said.
It also created much-needed jobs in an area with about 40 percent unemployment, said Freddy Kaukungua, spokesman for Swakopmund's municipal government.
"They are part-time, but if more and more movies come, we can create a whole new sector," he said.
"Flight of the Phoenix" used up to 280 crew members a day, including around 130 Namibians. Their wages were not high by Hollywood standards, but the $14.50 daily minimum was double the local rate for unskilled workers.
The recent volatility of the South African rand, to which the Namibian dollar is pegged, is a problem for international productions.
"Mad Max Fury Road," also a 20th Century Fox production, canceled plans to film here last fall when the U.S. dollar fell sharply against the rand. The producers of "Flight of the Phoenix" had hedged against foreign exchange volatility by buying all the rands they needed early.
There were a few problems during the shoot, filmmakers said, citing a break-in at a crew member's home and insufficient policing in the town.
And Swakopmund is also incapable of supporting more than one feature film at a time.
"Accommodation would be the biggest problem. There are no more houses available for rent," said Nockles, who co-owns a production company, Namib Films. "You walk around restaurants, and you can't get in. You look in, and it's mostly film crew."
Nockles is convinced Hollywood will be back.
"Americans after every war make a stack of movies," he said. "They just had a war in the desert. Where else would they come?"
::::
Vacationtechnician personalized luxury adventure travel transports you to the most exquisite wilderness and chill out retreats on Earth. Conserving rare biodiversity through low volume tourism; our aim is your indulgence -at no one's expense. Plan now to be assured a rejuvenating escape at a restful pace -to an unspoiled gem in the purest sense.
Safari Field Reports
About The VacationTechnician Company
The VacationTechnician Company Conservation Campaign