Cinema in the Périgord

What do Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel, Luc Besson’s Joan of Arc, Le Chocolat with Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche and Les Visiteurs all have in common? All these films have been set in the landscapes and heritage of the Périgord, very close to the Pech Charmant campsite.

Silence, we’re filming!

As long as cinema has existed

Since the 1920s, and the birth of talking pictures, almost sixty French and international films and series have been shot in Sarlat, Les Eyzies and Périgord. What could be more normal? It’s said that there are a thousand castles here: and just as many magnificent settings for costume shoots or mysterious plots. Director Ridley Scott is a great admirer of the region, having set up his cameras here twice: for The Duelists in 1977, which won a prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and most recently, in 2020, for The Last Duel, starring Matt Damon, Adam Driver and Ben Affleck.

As for you, rest assured, there’s no need to run all over the region to don your knight’s armour: most of these gems are located just a few minutes from Le Pech Charmant.

A journey through time
Your journey will certainly begin in the medieval town of Sarlat-la-Canéda, just twenty minutes from the campsite. Its specially preserved cobbled streets make this humble village the third-largest filming centre in France.
Stepping back in time is so easy in the Périgord: the string of mansions and fortresses overlooking wild rivers stands alongside the first human settlements, with the Lascaux caves just around the corner. Just a few kilometres apart, these mansions and fortresses offer a diverse range of architecture, from the 12th to the 19th centuries. A rare heritage for these châteaux, considered to be among the finest in France.

A treasure trove for film-makers.