Two sections of the Vajont dam were built in Cimolais, Italy. The "dam under construction" section was built on a railway and then filmed with motion control. Santa Croce artificial lake was dried up by ENEL (the Italian electric energy company) to film the final sequence.
After filming was postponed from November 1999 to August 2000, actors Philippe Noiret, Anna Galiena, Michele Placido, Giancarlo Giannini and Isabella Ferrari turned down their roles because of scheduling conflicts.