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Inventing Anna: Where is Netflix’s true-crime drama filmed?

Production took place across New York, Los Angeles, Morocco and Europe

Isobel Lewis
Monday 14 February 2022 13:19 GMT
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Netflix releases Inventing Anna trailer

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Inventing Anna is the latest true-crime series to make a splash on Netflix.

The drama, released on Friday (11 February), tells the true story of Anna Sorokin, who used the fake name Anna Delvey and scammed friends and businesses out of large amounts of money by pretending to be a wealthy German heiress.

Between 2013 and 2017, Sorokin cemented herself within the New York art scene, racking up huge debts at expensive hotels without ever putting down a credit card.

She was convicted in 2019 of multiple crimes, including grand larceny, and released from prison in February 2021.

In Inventing Anna, Sorokin is played by Ozark star Julia Garner, while the supporting cast includes Anna Chlumsky and Laverne Cox.

Filming began in October 2019 for the show, which is mostly set in New York. However, production faced significant delays due to the pandemic, meaning some additional scenes were shot in Los Angeles.

The majority of the action in Inventing Anna takes place in New York City, with shots of big tourist attractions such as Times Square featuring in the show.

The Church Missions House is shown throughout ‘Inventing Anna’
The Church Missions House is shown throughout ‘Inventing Anna’ (Nicole Revelli/Netflix)

One building to feature frequently in the show is the Church Missions House at 281 Park Avenue South, which Sorokin wanted to use to host an ambitious art space called The Anna Delvey Foundation.

In order to try and make this happen, she spent years attempting to take out a $22-$35m (£16-£25m) loan, created fraudulent financial documents and cashed fake cheques.

The six-story building, which currently houses museum Fotografiska New York, has a distinctive grand, turreted appearance and is used for exterior shots.

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Additional scenes were shot at Bryant Park in Manhattan.

Saamer Usmani and Julia Garner in ‘Inventing Anna’
Saamer Usmani and Julia Garner in ‘Inventing Anna’ (AARON EPSTEIN/NETFLIX)

Sorokin enjoyed a jetsetter lifestyle, with Garner’s fake heiress travelling around from Ibiza to Paris.

When Sorokin visits Los Angeles in the show, she stays in the legendary Chateau Marmont on Sunset Boulevard. Scenes in Miami are shot at the Passages treatment centre.

In the second episode, Sorokin assists at Paris Fashion Week. The Gulacsy Hotel in Paris is actually the Lotte New York Palace Hotel, a luxury hotel occupying a section of the Villard Houses.

In episode six, Sorokin travels to Marrakesh in Morocco and stays at an opulent hotel. These scenes were shot in the real-life Hotel Lа Mаmouniа on Avenue Bаd Jdid in the city.

Inventing Anna is on Netflix now. Read The Independent’s review here.

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