35 College Campuses Where Hollywood Movies Were Secretly Filmed

32. University of the Witwatersrand: District 9 (2009)

Located in Johannesburg, South Africa, “Wits” as it’s locally known, was a key filming site for District 9. Its industrial-modern buildings and institutional corridors were used to create the alien internment and corporate research zones central to the film’s dystopian plot. Wits provided a stark, utilitarian look that blended perfectly with the film’s pseudo-documentary style. Its role in District 9 is a reminder that universities aren’t always used to depict idyllic learning—they can also be transformed into cold bureaucracies and sci-fi nightmares, depending on the camera angle.