Lights, camera, action. Besides its beauty, Winston-Salem is home to one of the top filmmaking schools in the US — so it’s no surprise it’s on the radar for movie production crews. Here are five films where you can catch glimpses of the Twin City on the big screen.
The Lesser Evil (1998)
You know the car that’s still at the bottom of The Quarry at Grant Park? It’s from a scene in the psychological thriller about four young boys who exact the ultimate revenge on a pair of bullies. Years later, fresh evidence threatens to expose their crime.
Mr. Destiny (1990)
Michael Caine gives star Jim Belushi a glimpse into how his life would have been different if he had scored one winning home run as a teenager. The film features scenes at the old Ernie Shore Field (what is now David F. Couch Ballpark), Grecian Corner, and the Buena Vista neighborhood.
Junebug (2005)
Winston-Salem native Angus MacLachlan wrote the screenplay for the acclaimed dramedy about newlyweds who visit family in a small NC town. Scenes were filmed at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and New Hope United Methodist Church. Actress Amy Adams was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film.
Are You Here (2013)
Comedians Owen Wilson, Zach Galifianakis, and Amy Poehler united for the dramedy about friends who roadtrip it back to the hometown of Galifianakis’s character after learning of his estranged father’s death. Longtime Winston-Salem bar Recreation Billiards is featured in the film. Wilson was spotted enjoying the city at Mozelle’s, 6th and Vine, and Foothills Brewing.
The Longest Ride (2015)
The adaptation based on Nicholas Sparks’s romance novel starred Scott Eastwood, Clint Eastwood’s son. A farm in Surry County, northwest of Winston-Salem, was the main filming location about a bull rider who falls in love with a college student. You’ll recognize Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum and the campus of Wake Forest University.
A Little Prayer (2025)
Filmed in the Twin City, the movie showcases a loving father who grapples with how to protect his daughter-in-law. The film earned a four-star and a rave review from the Washington Post and continuously plays at a/perture cinema.
