The incredible Mt Yasur Volcano on Tanna Island, Vanuatu. Picture: Mark Calleja

This year’s crop of Oscar-nominated films showcase a massive variety of locations — from the dazzling lights of Los Angeles, the dusty isolation of the Wild West and the sunshine of one of Australia’s very own seaside spots.

Travel Insurance Direct has rounded up some of the awards season’s most talked-about movies and the real-life destinations that inspired them, so you can check them out off-camera.

LA LA LAND

This memorable scene was shot in a park called Cathy’s Corner, near the Griffith Observatory. Picture: Dale Robinette/Lionsgate via APSource:AP

Griffith Park is one of the best ways to see the Los Angeles skyline. Picture: iStockSource:istock

As the name suggests, this musical — which is nominated for an incredible 14 Academy Awards — pays homage to the global headquarters of show business: Los Angeles.

Even some less-obviously glamorous parts of LA are given the retro treatment in the film, such as the intersection of the 105 and 110 freeways near Athens and Watts.

But fans of the film will definitely want to check out the site of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling’s instantly-iconic twilight dance number.

Head to Cathy’s Corner, a park on Mt Hollywood Drive, on the way up to the Griffith Observatory — that’s where it was filmed. And don’t be discouraged if you don’t see the park bench and lamp post, because they were added just for the film.

ARRIVAL

In the film, one of the spacecraft touches down in Montana, but it’s really Quebec. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied

The filming location was a few hours east of Montreal. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied

Denis Villeneuve’s mind-bending sci-fi flick, starring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker, explores what happens when mysterious creatures from outer space arrive on Planet Earth.

The captivating scene where the aliens’ egg-shaped orb settles over a green pasture in the United States was actually shot in Quebec, Canada — specifically, the Quebecuios town of Bass-Saint-Laurent.

The picturesque town sits on the Saint Lawrence River, about a four-hour drive east of Montreal.

HELL OR HIGH WATER

West Texas brothers, played by Ben Foster and Chris Pine, in Hell or High Water.Source:Supplied

Clovis, New Mexico, is a great pit stop through the American southwest. Picture: Flickr/Greg GjerdingenSource:Supplied

This modern-day western, starring Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges and Chris Pine, is set in the arid livestock and oil country of West Texas.

The movie was actually shot just 15 kilometres into neighbouring New Mexico, in a town called Clovis.

Clovis a short detour for movie fans visiting nearby Amarillo, El Paso and, a little further afield, Phoenix. The town is well-known among country music fans, thanks largely to the influential Norman Petty Recording Studio, and it’s a great place to check out a local rodeo.

HIDDEN FIGURES

NASA staffers, played by Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson and Janelle Monae, meet astronaut John Glenn (Glen Powell) in a scene from Hidden Figures.Source:Supplied

Atlanta, Georgia is a thriving city rich in history and culture. Picture: iStockSource:istock

Starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae, this film tells the story of female African-American mathematicians who worked on the NASA space program during the space race of the Cold War.

Scenes at the NASA headquarters were filmed in an old building in Atlanta, Georgia, on the campus of Morehouse College.

Atlanta may not be one of the most obvious stops for a holiday in the US but it’s a perfect spot for history buffs, especially for its crucial role during the Civil War and the civil rights movement.

LION

In Lion, Saroo Brierley (Dev Patel) returns to India to find his lost family.Source:Supplied

Tassie’s Marion Bay looks great on-screen. Picture: jenne/FlickrSource:Supplied

Sunny Pawar plays a young Saroo in Lion.Source:Supplied

Bengal plays a crucial role in this Australian film, based on the real-life story of Saroo Brierley (played by Sunny Pawar and later Dev Patel) who becomes separated from his family in India and is adopted by Australian parents (Nicole Kidman and David Wenham) in Hobart, Tasmania.

The shot where the family plays cricket on the beach was filmed at Marion Bay, east of Hobart. Many music fans would know Marion Bay as the original home of the Tasmanian Falls Festival and it’s a fantastic spot for a weekend away.

MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

Casey Affleck’s character Lee returns to his hometown in Manchester By the Sea. Picture: Claire FolgerSource:Supplied

The lighthouse on Bakers Island appears in the movie. Picture: Flickr/Peter CiroSource:Supplied

This moving film is set in a place called Manchester-by-the-Sea, in Massachusetts.

The lighthouse seen in the movie is on Bakers Island, off the coast of Manchester, near the charmingly named Misery Island.

This is an important spot in the history of white settlement of North America, as nearby Gloucester was settled before Boston and formed part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Further south, on the way to Boston, travellers will find Salem — home to America’s most notorious witch-hunts, and a city that’s become movie-famous in its own right.

TANNA

Behind the scenes of Tanna, a Romeo and Juliet-style story of forbidden love in Vanuatu. Source: SuppliedSource:Supplied

The incredible Mt Yasur Volcano on Tanna Island, Vanuatu. Picture: Mark CallejaSource:News Corp Australia

Up for a gong in the Foreign Language category at the Oscars, this critically acclaimed film by Australian filmmakers Bentley Dean and Martin Butler is about a love story in one of our favourite holiday destinations: Vanuatu.

It’s also the first feature film to be shot entirely on the Pacific Island.

Dean told news.com.au he spent seven months living in a traditional, off-the-beaten-track community while making the movie.

“I was astounded that only about four or five hours from Australia was a place that had an active volcano, black sand beaches, and was so culturally rich,” he said.

“Each village takes turns to hold a big party at the beginning of the harvest for the yam, or the taro. It’s like a bush rave, but like nothing you’ve ever seen.”

Smaller villages in Vanuatu aren’t there for tourists, so interested visitors should first make contact with the Vanuatu Cultural Centre in Port Vila.