Actress Dakota Fanning recently opened up about a very unusual filming experience while working on the new Drama movie “The Sun Never Sets.” The film premiered at SXSW 2026 on March 13, and Fanning says shooting the movie in Anchorage, Alaska came with a challenge that most film productions never face — the sun never set.
In Alaska during the summer, daylight can last almost 24 hours a day, creating what many people call the midnight sun. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fanning explained that this constant daylight changed how everyone on set worked and how scenes felt while filming.
Fanning said the endless sunlight did not personally bother her, but it did create a strange feeling during production. The actress described how the environment looked bright even late at night, which made the filming experience feel very different from normal movie sets.
The Emmy-nominated actress stars in the film alongside Jake Johnson and Cory Michael Smith. The story is directed by filmmaker Joe Swanberg, known for his natural and improvisational style of storytelling.
Fanning explained that Alaska felt very different compared to typical filming locations like Los Angeles. In the movie, her character works at a construction site, and she said that seeing women working in those roles felt normal in Alaska, even though it might look unusual in some other cities.
Her co-star Jake Johnson said the midnight sun was even more confusing for him. During interviews at the SXSW premiere, Johnson described filming scenes that were supposed to take place late at night while the sun was still shining brightly.
In one scene, Johnson said his character leaves a bar after a date. Normally the scene would look dark and quiet, but in Alaska the sunlight made it look like midday instead of midnight. Johnson recalled seeing children still playing in parks late at night, which made the experience feel strange and surreal.
The movie itself was filmed entirely in Anchorage, Alaska, and the production used 35mm film to capture the scenery. According to reports from the SXSW premiere, the project had a larger budget than many of Swanberg’s earlier independent films, allowing the director to expand his visual style.
Fanning also spoke about Swanberg’s improvisational approach to filmmaking. At first, she said she was nervous because she was not sure how the process would work on a larger production. However, she later explained that the director created a safe and collaborative environment where actors could explore their scenes naturally.
The film “The Sun Never Sets” has already started gaining attention after its SXSW 2026 premiere. Many critics say Fanning delivers one of the strongest performances of her career.
While the constant daylight first seemed like a challenge, the unique setting of Alaska’s endless summer sun eventually became one of the film’s most powerful visual elements. For the cast and crew, the unusual filming conditions turned into a memorable experience that helped shape the story in a very special way.