Naman Shrestha
Co-written and directed by Romain Gavras, Netflix’s ‘Athena’ is a French drama movie that revolves around the chaos born from the tragic killing of a young boy, Idir, in the community of Athena. When he is murdered on camera by some men in police uniforms, his three brothers — Karim, Moktar, and Abdel — raise hell in the neighborhood as the difference in opinions turns them against one another. The eldest brother, Moktar, seems to care less about Idir’s death and more about the consequences his business operations will face after the event.
Abdel, the middle brother, is a member of the police and believes that the system will do justice to their deceased brother. However, Karim, the younger brother, is hotheaded and takes matters into his own hands. The sibling rivalry surrounding the controversial subject of their brother’s killing results in an all-out war in the neighborhood, giving way to many action-packed sequences. Moreover, the viewers wonder about the destruction of various places throughout the movie and whether it was shot on location.
Athena Filming Locations
‘Athena’ was filmed entirely in France, specifically in Essonne. The principal photography for the Netflix movie seemingly commenced in early August 2021 and wrapped up after two months, in early October of the same year. Since the fictional neighborhood of Athena, where the story is set, is in France, it makes sense why the makers chose to tape the movie in the country. As per reports, it was recorded chronologically, mostly during nighttime. Now, without much ado, let us take you to the middle of the conflict and walk you through all the specific locations that appear in the movie!
Essonne, France
All the pivotal sequences of ‘Athena’ were lensed in Essonne, a department of France located in the southern Île-de-France region. The production team set up camp in the commune of Évry-Courcouronnes, especially on Place du Parc aux Lièvres. Located in the southern suburbs of Paris, Évry-Courcouronnes is the prefecture of Essonne.
In an early September 2022 interview with Variety, the director, Romain Gavras, revealed that his team was able to include many locals as cast and crew members in the movie. He said, “90% of our cast is made of people from the neighborhood, we almost got everyone involved, from the cast to the catering and the set design.” Over the years, Essonne has served as a prominent production location for different movies and TV shows. Apart from ‘Athena,’ the department has featured in several projects such as ‘Titane,’ ‘Happening,’ ‘Dangerous Liaisons,’ ‘An Officer and a Spy,’ and ‘Standing Tall.’
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