The film was shot in Pretoria, South Africa.

Filming Locations:

Robben Island

In the Movie

Scene where Francois Pienaar visits Robben Island to see Mandela's cell.

In Reality

The scene was filmed at Robben Island is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometers (4.3 miles) off the coast of Cape Town. Since the end of the 17th century, Robben Island has been used for the isolation of mainly political prisoners. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island. You can visit the island via tours that depart from the Cape Town waterfront. Tours depart three times a day and take about 3.5 hours.

Union Buildings

In the Movie

Scene where Francois Pienaar drives to meet President Mandela.

In Reality

The scene was filmed at The Union Buildings are the official seat of the South African government, housing the president's office. The building was designed by Sir Herbert Baker in 1908, construction began in 1909 and was completed in 1913. Construction took nearly three years for 1,265 artisans, workers, and employees, who used 14 million bricks for internal office walls, half a million cubic feet of stone, 74,000 cubic yards of concrete, 40,000 bags of cement, and 20,000 cubic feet of granite.