Baarìa is the Sicilian name of Bagheria, a small town close to Palermo where Tornatore, the film director, was born and grew up. Most of the scenes were shot in Bagheria, however, others were shot on a massive set in Tunisia, where part of the Sicilian town was reconstructed according to the urban aspect the city had in the early 1900s.
More than 35,000 extras were employed.
The film exists in two versions: the original, shown at the Venice Film Festival and spoken almost entirely in Sicilian dialect, and a dubbed version for general theatrical release in Italy.
The scene of the cow killed in the movie was real. It is implied that Tornatore shot the movie in Tunisia to avoid the Italian laws on the matter of animal abuse. In fact, in Tunisia it is not forbidden to kill animals in movies.
Opening film at the 2009 Venice Film Festival.
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