Where was Society of the Snow filmed? Shooting location and budget explored

The hit Netflix movie, Society of the Snow, directed by J.A. Bayona, does an amazing job of chronicling the events of the famous 1972 Andes flight disaster. The choice of where the movie was filmed adds to the realness and power of the story.

In an interview with Netflix, Bayona revealed that he was determined:

"...To direct this story as it was meant to be — in its original language, in the places where it happened, and with the ambition with which we approached the project.”

Bayona and his crew went all out and didn't miss a beat as they meticulously prepped for this huge project. Now, tons of fans are eager to find out where the film was shot and how much it cost.

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Society of the Snow: A list of its filming locations

1) Sierra Nevada, Spain

Considering Society of the Snow's story, finding a spot that truly captures the brutal crash site was tough. The director, Bayona, went to the actual Valle de las Lágrimas (Valley of Tears) multiple times.

According to Bayona (via Screen Daily):

“It was hard... It is very impressive to see the size of those mountains, but they are very difficult to shoot. They trick your eye... Sometimes you need to twitch the camera a little bit to give the impression of the steepness."

However, he decided that it would be easier for the team to recreate the setting in a different, more convenient location instead of filming there directly. They went with the Sierra Nevada mountains in Grenada, Spain as their choice. Although the mountains were a good fit, they faced some challenges while filming.

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2) Montevideo, Uruguay

The movie was filmed partly in Montevideo, Uruguay (Image via Brittanica)

Even though most of Society of the Snow is based in the well-known Andean slopes, a lot of the movie's initial shots were filmed in Montevideo. The parts with the families of the crash victims were all shot in Uruguay's capital city, which just adds to the realistic nature of the movie.

Since Bayona is dedicated to telling the story as it is, it makes sense that they chose to film these important scenes in Montevideo instead of a city that is more commonly known for making big-budget movies.

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3) Andes Mountains, Argentina, and Chile

The Andes have served as the backdrop for some of the shots (Image via Wikipedia)

Even though it wouldn't have made sense to film the whole movie at the actual crash site because of the dangers, Bayona and his team still included the real Andes in addition to their main Sierra Nevada location.

A big part of the project involved seamlessly combining real site footage with the man-made set in Spain. They projected this footage onto huge screens inside the sets of Society of the Snow.

This surrounded the actors and crew to make it feel like they were truly immersed in a realistic experience, according to Lavanguardia. Fans can spot the real Andes in Society of the Snow, even though they use footage from two different places.

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Budget of Society of the Snow

The movie Society of the Snow cost a whopping €65 million and nearly $70 million to make, as per The Hollywood Reporter. It took them a good 138 days to shoot, hitting up spots like Sierra Nevada, Uruguay, and Madrid.

Society of the Snow is a fictionalized story based on the real-life 1972 crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 in the Andes. About 45 people were on the plane, and sadly, 29 of them didn't make it out alive.

The movie is helmed by J.A. Bayona and features Enzo Vogrincic, Agustín Pardella, Matías Recalt, and Esteban Bigliardi. To get ready for shooting, Bayona checked out the crash site in the Andes, where there's now a memorial.

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Society of the Snow dropped on Netflix on January 4, 2024.