Pedro Almodóvar, in his film-shooting pursuits, used the Huerto de Travaló Baix as one of the settings for the characters in Tacones lejanos (High Heels) (1991) to recreate a Caribbean village. Much more recently, in 2012, the TV series El barco (The Ship) filmed in Elche for twenty days and converted a local palm grove into an exotic tropical island. In 1980, another successful TV series, Ramón y Cajal, starring Adolfo Marsillach, recreated 19th Century Cuba in a palm grove of the Pusol district. And a great many other stories…

A filming location since 1924

Ever since Maximiliano Thous’ shooting in 1924 of various zarzuela scenes for La alegría del batallón, which was taken to the big screen, the Mediterranean oasis that is the natural backdrop to the city, together with the local countryside and beaches, has become the ideal setting for all manner of film productions.

This close bond was strengthened in 1978 with the creation of the Elche Festival of Independent Film which attracts crowds of film buffs to the filming locations which are reused as screening venues; such is the case of Hort del Xocolater in the heart of the city or the beach at Arenales del Sol.

All solved

A unique series of palm groves, pristine beaches, natural settings, very fine historic buildings, modern local industry, the countryside, where farming techniques can be traced to the Moslem era, not to mention the vibrant natural light – all this makes for Elche rightfully claiming for itself the status of a prized location and backdrop for a multiplicity of audiovisual productions.

The Elche Film Commission is a not-for-profit foundation that supports local initiatives in all matters concerning filming on location in the Elche area. It facilitates tasks for production companies that choose Elche by managing, among other matters, official paperwork, accommodation and providing information on everything that may be needed during the shooting.