4. 2001: A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrik’s 1968 science-fiction film continues to be regarded as one of the most influential films ever made. As well as receiving four Academy Award nominations, one of which it won for its visual effects, in 1991 it was granted a coveted spot in the USA’sNational Film Registry. Though most of the movie was shot in British production studios, the opening scene – set in Cenozoic-era Africa – features stunning shots of Namibia’s fiery, sun-speared horizons.
3. 10,000 BC
Evocative of pre-civilisation barrenness as much as it is of post-apocalyptic destruction, the vast Namib Desert was also the locale for Roland Emmerich’s prehistoric epic 10,000 BC. When an army of warlords raids the Yaghal camp, kidnapping several tribe members as well as Evolet (protagonist D’Leh’s heart’s desire), the young mammoth hunter must lead an improbable band of heroes across miles of uncharted terrain to reclaim them. Though special effects were needed to visually generate the sabre-toothed tigers that the tribe must fend off, it was the very real, very beautiful Namibian dunes that provided the film’s dramatic backdrop.