Movie Locations in Perth – Western Australia on the Screen

Released in 2015, the film Paper Planes tells the tale of a young boy who resides in Western Australia who discovers he has a rather unique talent; creating paper airplanes! His dream is to compete in Japan's World Paper Plane Championships and the film which stars Sam Worthington features a number of scenes shot in Perth. One such pivotal scene takes place at the WA Athletics Stadium in Floreat, Perth; if you have seen the film, it's the venue where you get to witness the cart-wheel throw being practiced by Kimi. Of course, the stadium was not the only location in Perth that was used for the film. Mount Claremont's HBF Stadium and the Aviation Heritage Museum which is operated by the RAAF Association of Western Australia were among other venues that you may recognise while watching Paper Planes.

Released in 2003, Japanese Story stars Toni Colette who plays the character Sandy, who accompanies a businessman from Japan as they make their way to Pilbara. The filming locations for this movie, which was directed by Sue Brooks, included the Perth Airport which will be familiar to most flying into the city. Japanese Story was screened at Cannes in 2003 as part of the Un Certain Regard section and apart from the airport also featured other backdrops in Perth as well as Port Hedland and Pilbara.

In 2009, the thriller Crush was released. Starring Christopher Egan, the film was about an American martial arts champion whose life comes apart due to infidelity. The film was directed by John V. Soto and Jeffrey Gerritsen and locations that were used include the Perth Central Business District. While the CBD may be relatively small it does have much to offer filmmakers from charming street scenes to great interiors for those wishing to shoot at a luxury hotel in Perth. Landmarks in and around the city centre such as COMO The Treasury, Perth also make for great backdrops. Apart from the CBD, areas from South Perth were used in Crush, some of which those from Western Australia may recognise.

Starring well-known actor Ewan McGregor along with popular names such as Brenton Thwaites and Alicia Vikander, Son of a Gun is a crime thriller released in 2014. The film follows the story of a young man (Brenton Thwaites) who gets sent to prison where he meets an inmate (Ewan McGregor) who is also serving time there. Among the locations that were used was the Casuarina Prison, Western Australia's main maximum-security penitentiary, close to Perth. While this location is certainly not a tourist site, the movie also features the Sunset Hospital in the Perth suburb of Dalkeith, for those wishing to find some of the backdrops from Son of a Gun.