Uncover the Filming Locations of Nicole Kidman’s Movie ‘Holland’

Nicole Kidman’s latest film Holland is now available for streaming on Amazon Prime. The movie falls under the genre of a dark mystery-thriller and is based in a picturesque small town adorned with tulips. This intriguing contrast adds to the appeal of the film.

The movie is directed by Mimi Cave and written by Andrew Sodorski. Kidman portrays the character of a school teacher residing in Holland, Michigan. Her tranquil life takes a tumultuous turn when she becomes suspicious of her husband, played by Matthew Macfadyen, possibly being involved with another woman. She enlists the help of a friend, played by Gael García Bernal, to unravel the truth. However, their investigation unveils a much more sinister reality.

For those unfamiliar with Holland, Michigan, this movie provides a glimpse into the city during the annual Tulip Time festival. Known for its strong Dutch-American presence and vibrant tulip displays, Holland is showcased in a unique light. Interestingly, despite the title of the movie being the same as the real city, filming did not actually take place there, showcasing the typical movie magic often seen in Hollywood productions. Explore further to discover the filming locations of Holland.

A very small part of Nicole Kidman’s Holland movie was filmed on location in Holland, Michigan. However, the majority of Holland was filmed in locations around the Nashville, Tennessee area, the city where Kidman lives with her husband and four children. Less than a week of the 48-day production happened in the real town of Holland.

Director Mimi Cave was familiar with the Midwest, having grown up in a small town outside of Chicago. “The town I grew up in was not too dissimilar from Holland, so I just felt a real kinship with them,” Cave told Variety in a recent interview.

In an interview for the Holland production notes, production designer JC Molina said that he and Cave made multiple trips to the real Holland, to study the local architecture and design, in order to find a version of Nancy’s house in the Nashville area that felt authentic. They also relied on Cave’s personal experience with the Midwest.

“We’d be scouting houses for references and Mimi would mention, ‘Oh this was the wall color of my living room,’ and those memories became a big guide for how we stylized the Vandergroot’s home,” Molina said.

The climactic scene that takes place at the Tulip Time festival was not filmed in the real Holland. The production reportedly had been going to film this scene in the real downtown Holland, but changed its plans in February 2023, according to local reporting. The scale back of a full-week of filming in the real Holland to just one day was a disappointing decision for the downtown businesses, who had hoped to be featured in the movie.

“Nothing will be shot downtown,” Tulip Time Executive Director Gwen Auwerda said in an interview with The Holland Sentinel. “So, local businesses aren’t involved.”

However, this scene did use some archival footage of real, previous festivals.

“Making our version of Tulip Time was so much fun,” Molina said in an interview for the Holland production notes. “Thanks to the city of Holland, we were able to use reams of archival footage to pull out highlights that we liked from over the years. So, what you see is sort of a compilation of the best of all the parades.”

At least one scene in the movie filmed in the real Holland, Michigan. The scene where Nicole Kidman and Gael Garía Bernal sit on a windmill for a conversation was filmed at Windmill Island Gardens, a historic Dutch windmill and tulip farm that sees over 100,000 tulips bloom every spring.

The park is open to the public for an admission fee of $13 (or $15, during peak Tulip Time), and is especially popular during Tulip Time, which is May 2 through May 11.