For all the movies that have told Alaska stories, surprisingly few have actually been filmed here. Hollywood has routinely used other places as stand-ins, from Maine, Washington, and British Columbia to Alberta, Iceland, and even New Zealand.
Alaska once tried to make itself more competitive by luring Hollywood productions with a state-created film production tax-credit program. In 2008, the state began offering financial incentives to productions that spent money and hired workers in Alaska. But in 2015, Alaska was facing a growing budget crisis, and the Legislature voted to repeal the program, which had paid out roughly $50 million in credits.
With or without incentives, Alaska’s massive mountains, remote wilderness, glaciers, wildlife, and rugged coastline have attracted filmmakers over the years. From survival dramas and true stories to classic adventures, these movies didn’t just say the story was set here—they brought their cameras north and filmed at least some scenes in Alaska.
The first film made in Alaska. The town of Girdwood was used as a stand-in for Skagway. The cast and crew took the train to Denali and south of Anchorage to Bartlett Glacier to film an ambitious recreation of the 1898 gold rush stampede at Chilkoot Pass. They also sailed to Cordova for more glacier scenes. And Sydney Laurence painted artwork for the intertitles of the film. Screenings of the film sold out in Anchorage.
A Gold Rush epic filmed in Skagway and the Copper River, as well as Dawson City in the Yukon. The scene at the Abercrombie Rapids on the Copper River, about 50 miles from Cordova, was so dangerous that four stuntmen drowned, including Jerome Bauten, Howard Daughters, and Ray “Red” Thompson.
“A salmon fisherman has to choose between a bad girl and a society doll,” according to IMBD. The “talkie” was partially filmed in Ketchikan and Loring over the course of a couple of weeks, and showings were sold out at Ketchikan’s Liberty Theatre.
Starring Henry Fonda, this “salmon fishing conflict” movie was partially filmed in Ketchikan. In an educational supplement to the film, director Henry Hathaway stated that the expedition to Alaska lasted fourteen weeks and resulted in 80,000 ft. of film shot.
This northern adventure was based on James Oliver Curwood’s “Swift Lightning” book and featured extensive location pre-production footage shot by cinematographer Norman Dawn.
This bush pilot adventure was filmed in one of the most remote places in Alaska. Parts of this film were shot on Little Diomede Island, while the rest were produced back in Hollywood.
Parts of this film noir were shot in Ketchikan, including Connell lake.
Warner Brothers shot approximately 20,000 feet of film of an actual rescue operation being conducted at an experimental weather station near the North Pole, and that footage was acquired for inclusion in this film about a pilot who finds himself with a new job at an observation post. Aerial and background footage was shot on location at Ladd Air Force Base, now Fort Wainwright near Fairbanks, and Barter Island.
This drama follows two partners in a trucking operation, and was partially filmed in Alaska, allegedly in Tanana.
Based on Edna Ferber’s novel, “Ice Palace” follows several generations of Alaskans and covers the state’s transition from territory to statehood. A few days were spent filming in Fairbanks, ten days were spent filming scenes in salmon canneries in Petersburg, and two days were spent shooting at Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau, according to The New York Times.
This slapstick logging film was shot in Wrangell, Juneau, and the Dick Sykes Logging Camp near Wrangell.
This wilderness manhunt adventure was filmed in Alaska’s remote landscape, and was produced by Alaska Pictures—a production company helmed by local filmmaker Chuck D. Keen.
A post-Jaws animal thriller that was made by Alaska Pictures and shot in Juneau and the surrounding area.
Based on the life of champion Athabascan dog musher George Attla, this film was shot almost entirely on location in Fairbanks and the outlying communities of Fort Yukon, Rampart, and Stevens Village.
A man goes on a journey into the wilderness in this Alaska-made movie, which was filmed in the Southcentral and Anchorage areas, as well as a scene from Six Mile Creek near Hope.
Disney’s adaptation of Farley Mowat’s book follows a researcher sent into the Arctic to study wolves. It was filmed mostly in Canada, but there were scenes in the Nome area as well as Skagway.
Jon Voight and Eric Roberts star in this thriller about escaped prisoners aboard a runaway train. The movie was filmed in Whittier and Portage, as well as Montana.
This independent drama was filmed in Kotzebue.
The adventure story based on Jack London’s novel of the same name was filmed in and around Haines. One of the film’s producers, Marykay Powell, recounted the hardships of the sudden change in weather in Haines “during which the snowfall turned to rain.” Without enough snow, the crew brought in snow-making machines, but rain reduced the snow to “brown mush.” The set ended up trucking in snow from Canada.
Most of this action adventure movie is filmed in California, but also in areas around Valdez to showcase sweeping mountain and glacier scenery.
This adventure drama was filmed on location in and around Juneau, including Franklin Street, Kennedy Street, Juneau-Douglas High School, and the DIPAC Salmon Hatchery.
Robin Williams stars in this dark comedy about a man who discovers a body and sees an opportunity to solve his financial problems. The movie was filmed between Skagway and nearby Yukon, Canada.
Werner Herzog’s documentary examines the life and death of Timothy Treadwell through Treadwell’s own footage and interviews. Treadwell’s archive footage was shot in Katmai National Park, while interviews were conducted on Kodiak Island.
This environmental horror film follows an oil exploration crew in the Arctic. Shooting took place in both Iceland and Alaska.
Sean Penn’s adaptation of Jon Krakauer’s book was filmed in many of the story’s actual locations including Cantwell, Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Healy.
“Christmas with a Capital C” (2011)
This Christmas comedy is set in a small Alaska community and filmed in Seward.
Andrew Okpeaha MacLean’s acclaimed drama follows two Iñupiat teenagers after a hunting trip goes tragically wrong. The movie was shot entirely in MacLean’s hometown of Utqiaġvik (making it one of the most northerly feature shoots in history).
Inspired by the 1988 effort to rescue three gray whales trapped in Arctic ice, “Big Miracle”brought the story to the big screen. The film was shot entirely on location in Alaska, around Anchorage and Seward, including the Alaska SeaLife Center.
The psychological thriller starring Jon Voight, Teri Polo, and Dermot Mulroney was filmed in Anchorage.
“Walking with Dinosaurs 3D” (2013)
Locations in Girdwood and the Kenai Peninsula were used as prehistoric environments in this film about dinosaurs. Production used scenes from around Southcentral as a backdrop, and added digitally created dinosaurs.
Based on the crimes of Anchorage serial killer Robert Hansen, this thriller stars Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, and Vanessa Hudgens, and was filmed entirely in the Anchorage and Southcentral area.
This independent coming-of-age film was filmed in locations across Alaska, including Anchorage, Juneau, Denali National Park, Palmer, Whittier, Matanuska Glacier, and the Inside Passage, as well as scenes aboard the Alaska Marine Highway ferry Kennicott.
Starring Jason Momoa and Cary Elwes, this thriller follows a man who fakes his disappearance in the Alaska wilderness. The movie was filmed in Alaska, specifically in Seward and surrounding areas.
Starring Dakota Fanning and Jake Johnson, this indie film follows a love triangle set in Anchorage. The movie was entirely shot in and around the Anchorage area, including Whittier, Turnagain Arm, and Chugach State Park.
Victoria Petersen is an Anchorage-based freelance journalist covering food, culture and climate.
