Return to Tatooine -
the article that started it all!
David West Reynolds is the man who kicked off all the interest in
visiting Tunisia when he rediscovered the filming sites in April
1995. Read his account on how he tracked down locations that had
been lost for nearly 19 years.
Tourism Puts Matmata On
The Map
What changes has the Troglodyte town of Matmata seen since it was
invaded by Star Wars over 20 years ago?
The Rise of the Empire
In December 2000 German film magazine, Hollywood, published an
article with exclusive photos from the Episode 2 sets near Tozeur.
Read the article and review the pictures here.
"...not to be
travelled lightly"
Baking sun, sandstorms and rogue robots. Dan Abnett describes the
rigours of location shooting in Tunisia.
Germans,
glue and greeblies
"I'm never gonna get out of here!" complained Luke
Skywalker in Star Wars. For actor Anthony Daniels, getting there was
tricky enough...
Bonfire
of the Utinies
Before Anthony Daniels could fly hot foot from Tunisia, C-3PO had to
toss a few Jawas on the BBQ.
Lynne's
Diary Part 9
Lynne Hale of Lucasfilm kept a diary of the events of making Episode
1. Here she and Rick McCallum recall Tunisia's biggest storm for 20
years.
Heads
turn on The English Patient tour
Film fans on The English Patient safari get a treat at the
hands of the Force when they stumbled upon a secret Star Wars
Episode One set under construction.
I know what you did last
summer
Cast, crew and producer take time to reflect on the conditions and
difficulties of shooting the Tatooine scenes of The Phantom
Menace in Tunisia.
Storm hits desert
location
The Sahara desert isn't always light breezes and clear skies. The
two times that Lucasfilm have shot on location near the Chott they
have been hampered by unusual weather. Read the account of the
second storm to hit Tatooine in 20 years.
Empire Building
This chapter, taken from the title Empire Building by
Garry Jenkins (Simon & Schuster Ltd, 1997. ISBN 0-684-82092-7),
describes the 1976 shoot in Tunisia in great detail.
A Postcard from Tunisia
An excellent tale of two American's trip from Tunis to Tozeur, with
wonderful descriptions of all the delights they encountered.
...Buy the Props
Most people won't find the village of Mos Espa on any map of
Tunisia, but this lucky reporter from the Daily Telegraph did
in the summer of 1999.
Travelling in
Tunisia
In 1999 The Times newspaper published an article on how the
film fans drawn to the Force are making Tunisia a hot tourist
destination.
The Caves of Matmata
Matmata, the location where the interior of the Lars' homestead was
filmed in 1976, has been continually inhabited by natives tribesmen
for over 3000 years. Get a flavour of their uniqueness in this
travel article.
Tunisia Strikes Back
Some people go to Matmata, where they filmed the opening scenes of
Star Wars, by tourist buses, but as Juliet Coomber discovered going
by donkey would be more in keeping with the Berber cave dwellers.
A Taste of Tunisia
David Coomber shows that a traveller in Tunisia needs more than a
phrasebook and passport. They need a will to experience the unusual,
and a club to beat off the hawkers.
Ships of the Desert
Amar Grover recounts his marathon drive from the resorts of
the northern coast, across the Nefzaoua plain and the Chott el
Jerid, and comes to find that the La Grande Dune isn't as remote as
he thought it was.
