is grounded in a real location yet still amazing and impressive. In South Africa, the Shakaland Zulu Village in KwaZulu-Natal and the Ndebele church in Mapoch were the sets for the royal family's village and the wedding scene, respectively. Ponte City Apartments in Johannesburg was chosen as the location for the king's ascension to heaven, as the building used to be a bastion of apartheid in South Africa, and so the film upends that symbol and shows the prince floating out of it. The Ghanaian chapter was led by director Joshua Kissi. Filming took place in the Eastern Region and Greater Accra Region, with the team wanting to include locations that were underrepresented in depictions of Ghana, such as Shatta Wale's hometown of Nima. Producer Sharifah Issaka noted that Beyoncé used local Ghanaian talent for the production and paid them well, unlike most foreign crews when filming in Ghana, making Black Is King "a model for other brands that might be interested in creating content or engaging with the continent" to encourage them to provide opportunities to local talent. Issaka also noted that Black Is King is "a testament to the talent and capability of Black artists— who when given the chance, can create phenomenal work. I think Beyoncé understands that these people are here. People take inspiration from Africa all the time, but hiring people and providing local people on the ground with opportunities is a whole other thing. Inspiration is not going to fill my bank account, show me the money." United States In New York, filming took place in the former plantation Sylvester Manor, the art gallery Guild Hall of East Hampton and Pier59 Studios. Filming also took place in Apple Valley in California and Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon; Black Is King was the first production to be filmed at Havasu Falls, with the Havasupai people granting special permission to Beyoncé. Emmanuel Adjei and Beyoncé were the directors of the "Don't Jealous Me" and "Otherside" sections. "Bigger" and "Find Your Way Back" were directed by Beyoncé alone, and were filmed in Arroyo Burro Beach and Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes, California. Director of photography Santiago Gonzalez at first planned to film "Find Your Way Back" entirely on drones, however Beyoncé's team arrived to set with an Arri Alexa Mini package, which Gonzalez then used to shoot with in between drone setups. The crew scouted locations of sand dunes