Star Wars: 10 Secrets Of Mos Eisley Cantina You Need To Know
2. The Inside And The Outside Were Nowhere Near Each Other
Behind the scenes, it is hardly surprising that the exterior and interior shots of Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina were filmed in completely different locations. The exteriors were of course filmed in Ajim, Djerba, Tunisia.
Ajim is a ferry port on the island of Djerba, so to get to the location a ferry was required. Most of the inhabitants either work in fishing or tourism, with the exterior of Chalmun's cantina still serving as a big tourist draw all of these years later. There are also the remains of the Stormtrooper checkpoint and Falcon Blast Off Alley several streets away.
The interior shots were done at Elstree Studios. Back in the seventies, Elstree boasted six large stages, one of which was commissioned ahead of filming on The Empire Strikes Back. In the years that have passed, however, much of the original building was torn down and replaced with a supermarket. This meant that while most of the Original Trilogy was filmed there, much of the Prequel Trilogy wasn't, with only some pick-up shots being completed. Elstree was mostly replaced for this filming by Fox Studios, Sydney and Leavesden Studios as well.