Original Coverage & Source Attribution: www.whats-on-netflix.com
Netflix’s Allen may be about a little alien from outer space, but the film itself couldn’t be more down to earth. Here’s where Ludo Studio’s heartwarming sci-fi comedy was filmed, from creator Daley Pearson’s hometown of Coolum to a Gold Coast car park that became a kite festival. ]
Allen follows Petey Burns, who as a ten-year-old in 1998 befriends a small, glowing alien on a hidden beach, only for Allen to vanish without a goodbye. Twenty years later, adult Petey (TJ Power) is still waiting for him to come back. The film is Ludo Studio’s first locally made feature, and it was shot entirely in Queensland, along the southeast coast and at Screen Queensland Studios in Brisbane. “Very surreal,” Pearson said of shooting in his hometown, in the film’s press notes. “The whole film is about trying to go back to your childhood, and then I literally went back to mine to make it.”
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Coolum Beach
Central filming location
Public
Coolum Beach, QLD 4573
Petey’s hometown, and Daley Pearson’s
Allen is set in Coolum, where creator Daley Pearson grew up. Opening scenes are set here in 1998, including the Coolum Kite Festival.
Swim between the flags; the main beach is patrolled by lifeguards. -
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Mount Coolum
Public
Mount Coolum National Park, Coolum Beach, QLD 4573
The Sunshine Coast landmark above Coolum
Listed by Netflix as a filming location. Pearson says the cast and crew also climbed Mount Coolum together during the shoot.
The summit track is steep and rocky. Go early, wear sturdy shoes and bring water. -
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First Bay
Public
First Bay, Coolum Beach, QLD 4573
A small rocky cove just south of Coolum’s main beach
Listed by Netflix as a filming location in Coolum.
Unpatrolled and rocky. Check conditions before swimming. -
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Miami Beach
Public
Miami, Gold Coast, QLD 4220
Where the Coolum Kite Festival was built
The film’s Coolum Kite Festival, complete with a Ferris wheel and festoon lights, was built in a beachside car park here. The crew also spent two weeks shooting on the public beach with the local council’s help.
The festival set was temporary, so nothing from it remains. -
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Queens Beach North
Public
Flinders Parade, Scarborough, QLD 4020
Bayside beach on the Redcliffe Peninsula
Listed by Netflix as a filming location.
A calm bayside beach with a foreshore walk along Flinders Parade. -
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Redcliffe Peninsula Surf Life Saving Club
Public
Redcliffe, QLD 4020
Surf club on the Redcliffe Peninsula
Listed by Netflix as a filming location.
The club is a working surf club. Respect members and any events taking place. -
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Shorncliffe
Public
Shorncliffe, QLD 4017
Heritage seaside suburb in Brisbane’s north
Listed by Netflix as a filming location.
The suburb is known for its heritage pier and foreshore walks. -
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Screen Queensland Studios
Private
Hemmant, Brisbane, QLD 4174
Studio base and home of Formation Effects
Some of the kite festival set was moved here for additional filming. Formation Effects designed, built and maintained the Allen puppets on site.
A working studio, so it’s closed to the public. - No matching locations.
Coolum, Sunshine Coast
Allen is set in Coolum, where Pearson grew up, with filming at Coolum Beach, First Bay and Mount Coolum. The autobiographical touches run deep. Adult Petey works in the same shop Pearson worked in when he was younger, and Pearson’s old boss, David, plays Petey’s boss. “I didn’t want to make a fictional version of where I grew up,” Pearson said. “I wanted the real shops, beaches, streets and people.”
Miami Beach, Gold Coast
Despite its name, the film’s Coolum Kite Festival was actually built in a car park at Miami Beach on the Gold Coast, complete with a Ferris wheel and strings of lights. “At night it just came alive,” said director of photography Toby Oliver. “I don’t think I’ve created anything like that before in my career.”
Brisbane and the Redcliffe Peninsula
Filming also took place at Shorncliffe in Brisbane’s north, and at Queens Beach North in Scarborough and the Redcliffe Peninsula Surf Life Saving Club. The production was based at Screen Queensland Studios in Brisbane, which is also home to Formation Effects, the creature shop that designed and built the Allen puppets. You can read more in our deep dive on how Ludo Studio made Allen.
Why Allen had to be made in Queensland
The film’s coastal setting certainly evokes the suburban American films Allen draws from, like E.T. and Back to the Future. But Pearson says there’s something distinctly Australian about it, too. “If a T-Rex walked down the street in an American movie, people would flip tables, helicopters would arrive, the army would roll in,” he said. “If a T-Rex walked down the street in Australia, someone at a café would probably look up and say, ‘Someone’ll do something about that,’ and then go back to their conversation.” “That attitude is really important to Allen.” As Pearson told What’s on Netflix in our exclusive interview: “You don’t just go to the best people in the world, you have to find or become the best people in the world here.”
Allen premieres globally on Netflix on Thursday, November 12th, 2026.
