The best films and adverts shot on the M-30 ring road

Just like many European capitals, Madrid has been the scene of innumerable film shoots in a wide variety of genres. Although it’s true that most of these productions don’t include scenes on the M-30 ring road, this stretch of road has played a significant role in some of the most interesting film productions shot in the Spanish capital. Let’s take a look at the films and adverts in which the M-30 has been a key scene of the action

Films scenes: films shot on the M-30

Although the number of films that have been shot on or feature images of this famous ring road isn’t huge, there are a few notable examples, with productions from both Spain and abroad making use of this setting at different times.

Witching and Bitching

Álex de la Iglesia directed this unclassifiable film in 2013. The action starts with a frenetic chase across the Puerta de Sol square before the main characters flee through the centre of Madrid and the tunnels of the M-30 in a taxi. Although the film received mixed reviews, most critics praised its fast-paced beginning that hooks the audience from the outset.

Los del túnel

This production was characterised by its long days of filming in darkness, as much of the action takes place in one of the tunnels of the M-30 ring road. The film, produced by and starring Arturo Valls, manages to convey the distress of a group of people who are trapped overnight in this tunnel in Madrid.

The Misfits Club

This teen movie was shot in 2014 between Galicia and Madrid. One of the most special scenes is in fact the one shot on the M-30 ring road, when the group of friends cross the tunnel at full pelt using scooters and a convertible four-wheel drive – a scene that certainly sticks in the mind.

Watch Out, We’re Mad!

In this film from the 70s, you can see that some of the scenes were shot on the roundabout interchange where the north interchange of the M-30 is currently situated. It’s also possible to make out some of the M-30’s new roadways – then under construction – which were used to shoot some of the chase scenes, with views of the Parque de las Avenidas bridge and the end of Avenida de América.

Car adverts: commercial ads shot on the M-30

Quiet a few adverts have been shot on the M-30 – most of them car ads, as can be imagined, as it’s Madrid’s busiest ring road. These are some of the biggest car brands that have shot scenes from their adverts on the M-30:

• HONDA: this ad was filmed in 2015 in the Arturo Soria area, on the Costa Rica interchange.
• AUDI: the high-end car manufacturer chose the ring road as the scene for its 2014 advert.
• OPEL: also, in 2014, this German company shot some scenes in the tunnels of the M-30.
• LEXUS: this Japanese company used the ring road and Calle Serrano Galvache as the scene of an advert in 2014.
• HYUNDAI: the leading South Korean manufacturer also chose the tunnels of the M-30 for an ad launched in 2014.
• KIA: this other South Korean brand had already shot one of its adverts at the Paloma interchange in 2012.

All of these productions are examples of great films and ads that have used locations in Madrid for their most emblematic scenes, with the most unusual of these being the ones shot on the M-30 ring road.