Filming Locations in South Africa for "The Best Day"

In the current movie "The Best Day" featuring Florian David Fitz and Matthias Schweighöfer as Benno and Andi, you can accompany the two on their journey to South Africa.

Actually, they have only one thing in common: they are both going to die soon. Andi (played by Matthias Schweighöfer) is a bit of a hypochondriac. In contrast, Benno (Florian David Fitz) is more of a daredevil and loves life. Instead of spending their last days in hospice, they decide to experience the "best day of their lives." So, they take out a loan and travel to Africa, where they face new challenges filled with fun, tragedy, and dangerous moments.

I won't reveal what realization the two come to in their search for the "best day" of their lives. You can read where the scenes were filmed here:

All scenes of the film that take place in Africa were shot in South Africa. In the film, you can experience not only impressive landscape shots of South Africa's vastness but also scenes featuring Table Mountain, the Drakensberg, and the Augrabies Falls National Park.

South Africa is very diverse; not for nothing was the advertising slogan for South Africa once "The World in One Country." The artistic challenge during filming was simply to ensure that the story itself did not become secondary, because nature is quite stunning.

By the way, South Africa is perfect for a road trip: The costs are very low, which means affordable accommodation and low incidental expenses. Additionally, there is a well-developed infrastructure and impressive attractions all over the country. A good starting point for road trips is Cape Town, which is generally a very popular filming location.

Founded in 1685, the Boschendal Winery is a gem of Cape Dutch architecture. Tourists mainly come here for wine tastings. Also on offer are cellar tours and vineyard walks followed by tastings.

Scenes from Mona's wedding were filmed here. The grill standing around served as a movie backdrop, as did the chickens that roam freely. The wedding table is right in front of the building on the path:

In Noordhoek, you will find one of the most beautiful and longest stretches of beach towards Cape of Good Hope. Here you can surf, ride horses, or just stroll along the beach. Scenes with the ladies were filmed at Monkey Valley Resort, in one of the rooms.

The scene where Benno shows Andi the camper van they are cruising through South Africa in was also filmed here. The trick was: The view of Benno was filmed in the parking lot, while the shot of Andi was taken around the corner at the entrance, where there is a wooden staircase.

The two enjoy the sunset overlooking Noordhoek Beach while sitting on the porch. Here, a shot was taken on the lower level, and another shot was filmed on the terrace one floor up. The chairs in the film are really right there.

Another location is Kommetjie. Here is Mona's beach house, situated in a beautiful beach location with a view of the sea, surrounded by sand dunes. The house is privately owned:

The landmark of Cape Town is Table Mountain. On a clear day, you can enjoy the breathtaking view over Cape Town, including Signal Hill, Lions Head, Camps Bay, and Robben Island to the Cape Peninsula. Unfortunately, Table Mountain is often shrouded in fog or high winds prevent gondolas from operating.

One of the key scenes in the film was shot here. However, the two friends-according to the filming locations-are not sitting directly across from each other but rather from two different spots on Table Mountain.

You can see Andrea from Film Tourism at "work":

Filming was originally planned at the southernmost point of South Africa. Unfortunately, two days before filming, the permit was revoked. A new worthy location had to be found for the showdown: Table Mountain.

I will check where the scene was exactly filmed and if our assumption is correct. But we are quite sure that this picture of Andi aka Matthias Schweighöfer was taken on the road between Swellendam and Hermanus. We have almost identical shots, just with a penny board instead of from a moving trailer.

The road here was truly impressive, and aside from fields, scavengers, and the occasional cows, we hardly met any vehicles.

The Royal Natal National Park in the northern Drakensberg is on the UNESCO World Heritage list and is often referred to as the "Roof of South Africa" due to its imposing mountain landscape. The most famous view here is the "Amphitheater"-a crescent-shaped cliff edge. You can see this view in the film as well.

Unfortunately, during my road trip through South Africa, I did not choose the route through the Drakensberg and could not admire the impressive waterfalls and mountain landscape.

Additionally, to the south of Durban at Uvongo Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in South Africa, in the province of KwaZulu Natal, scenes were filmed. The beach scene, with a waterfall in the background and located at a lagoon, offers the best conditions.

In the vicinity of the border with Namibia, scenes were filmed in the Augrabies National Park between sand dunes and small camping sites, where the two main characters make a stop.

Also, make sure to visit Andres from Film Tourism. Here you will also find the filming locations in Germany.

During the cinema tour for their first joint film, I took the opportunity to meet them briefly in Frankfurt at the Cinestar to talk about South Africa, the filming locations, and traveling.

Unfortunately, the background noise was very loud; we couldn't find any other spot in the theater. I hope you enjoy it anyway:

For those who want to watch the video without sound, here is the interview in text:

I was in Cape Town again last week and was able to visit some filming locations. What did you like best about South Africa or Cape Town?

Matthias: I think generally the whole ambiance, the vibe, the variety. You have mountains, you have the sea, and then you have a beautiful city in between... Florian: ... and that this hazy air, the clouds that come at you. Well, the clouds move in, and you have backlighting, and it gleams like this. Just look in our scene; you can't even see the sea because it gleams so much. Matthias: What do you mean it gleams? Florian: Gleams? The light? Hazy. When the air catches the light, and the air glows. Matthias: You gleam too, you know... Gleam... Florian: Never heard? Matthias: Never heard it. Florian: Gleaming sunlight.

Next, they discuss technical terms that Florian seems to throw around today, which Matthias has never heard of.

They say that once you've been to Africa, you want to go back again and again. That's certainly true for me. What about you? Do you miss South Africa?

Matthias: I think Africa was great. Especially the combination of Cape Town and the vastness. But I am also a big fan of American nature, as it has similar horizons. Florian: You've already said a thousand times that you miss it down there. Matthias: No, no, I miss the atmosphere and the freedom. But for my profession and what I actually want to do, a trip through America is closer to me. So, I would still prefer to go to America again because America is always somewhat related to my profession. And only then back to Africa. But of course, I want to go back again.

Florian: I found it fascinating when we were there. When you drive through the lands and say, "This is Africa, this is the African continent." I found it exciting to be in this fairytale-like part of the world. I only know North Africa, and we went to Cameroon once with my parents, and that was another league.

South Africa is the most developed country in Africa. Still, patience is often required here. Was that the same during filming?

Florian: Well, I think you need a lot of patience. Patience does not only mean time-wise but also patience that things don't have to work out or go as planned. So patience that things don't go the way you imagine.

How was it for you with punctuality? For example, we almost missed our ferry to Robben Island because we were in the township, and our statements that we had to leave were only taken seriously after the tenth time, and then we drove through Cape Town in a reckless race over red lights?

Florian: We had the same. Everything is relatively well planned during filming. It's quite funny that this strict scheduling-which is financially motivated, as everything is very, very expensive-meets this laxity. Next word: laxity!

Matthias laughs. Florian: ... and not with "ch". Are you generally patient people?

Matthias: Well, Florian is more patient than I am. I'm not that patient.

Florian: I'm also not hugely patient. But we were all overshadowed by Bernhard Jasper (camera).

What was the biggest challenge of filming in South Africa?

Matthias: We both. Florian: The continent was the biggest challenge, but also the biggest gift. Matthias: I find that compared to filming in America-America was much harder in terms of overall organization. We wanted to film in Central Park, do you know how much effort that took? Florian: But look, we wanted to film at Cape of Good Hope and couldn't. They canceled that two days prior. Matthias: Yes, that's right. This is Africa, baby! Florian: This is Africa, baby.

Benno and Andi actually don't know each other when they start the road trip. Would you embark on a journey with strangers?

Both laugh. Florian: No. Matthias: No. Florian: No. But the two of them have no choice. It's their last chance with each other. I'm also not someone who travels alone. There are people who travel alone and then have the most amazing experiences. You always meet people.

If you haven't seen the trailer for "The Best Day," you can watch it here:

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Thanks to South Africa Tourism and Pantaleon Films for the invitation to discover the filming locations in and around Cape Town. Also for the opportunity to meet the two actors during a packed cinema tour.