Balloon (2018) – Filming Locations
Thriller / Drama / History · Directed by Michael Herbig · Starring Friedrich Mücke, Karoline Schuch
Two families attempt a daredevil plan to escape the GDR with a homemade hot air balloon, but it crashes just before the border. The Stasi finds traces of this attempt to escape and immediately starts investigations, while the two families are forced to build a new escape balloon. With each passing day the Stasi is closer on their heels – a nerve-wracking race against time begins.
Where was Balloon filmed?
- Berlin, Germany, Berlin – Opening sequences establishing the divided city and the escape attempt backdrop. The iconic Berlin Wall serves as the central geographical and historical backdrop for the entire escape story
- Berlin, Germany, Berlin – Scenes depicting the heavily guarded border crossing between East and West Berlin. The famous Cold War checkpoint provides authentic location footage for the tense border security elements of the story
- East Germany (DDR locations), Berlin – Multiple scenes of daily life and preparations in East Berlin before the escape attempt. Authentic East German urban locations provide period-appropriate setting for the families' preparation sequences
- Brandenburg, Germany, Brandenburg – The climactic hot air balloon launch and escape sequence across the countryside. Open rural landscapes outside Berlin provide the location for the film's central action sequence involving the homemade hot air balloon escape