Where was Relay filmed? Complete guide to all filming locations and other production details

Relay is an American thriller produced and directed by David Mackenzie, with a screenplay by Justin Piasecki. Starring Riz Ahmed, Lily James, and Sam Worthington, the film explores the world of high-stakes corporate espionage, whistleblowers, and clandestine intermediaries. It was released theatrically on August 22, 2025.

The film follows Ash (Riz Ahmed), an enigmatic fixer who facilitates payoffs and guards whistleblowers like Sarah Grant (Lily James), who is targeted for revealing corporate malfeasance. Sam Worthington stars as Dawson, leader of a professional counterintelligence operation bent on following Ash and Sarah, setting the stage for a suspenseful and tense plot.

According to 4filming, Relay was shot mostly in New York City, with some additional scenes in New Jersey. The locations provided a combination of bustling city streets, industrial zones, and residential neighborhoods for the movie's secretive mood. In an August interview with USA Today, Riz Ahmed reflected on shooting in Manhattan, stating:

“We're dealing with New Yorkers. We're dealing with the, 'Hey, I'm walking here.'”

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Filming location of Relay

A still from the movie (Image via YouTube/Bleecker Street)

The production was primarily filmed in New York City, with additional scenes shot in Jersey City, New Jersey.

• New York City, New York: The majority of filming took place across Manhattan and Brooklyn. These areas provided high-rise office buildings, subway stations, alleyways, and busy streets that matched the film’s thriller tone. The city’s energy helped depict the dangerous, secretive operations that Ash undertakes while remaining anonymous.
• Jersey City, New Jersey: Several sequences were shot in Jersey City, just across the Hudson River from Manhattan. Locations included urban streets, industrial zones, and warehouse districts. Jersey City offered a similar visual aesthetic to Manhattan with fewer crowds.

Using both locations allowed the filmmakers to create a wider urban world that feels alive, intense, and full of covert activity.

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Production and other details of Relay

The movie revolves around Ash, a New York City-based fixer. He mediates anonymously between whistleblowers and corporations through a relay service. Ash protects Sarah Grant, a whistleblower targeted for exposing corporate corruption, handling document exchange, counter-surveillance, and decoy operations.

Ash relies on disguises, burner cell phones, and perfectly timed dead drops to protect Sarah as they are pursued by a professional counterintelligence unit. Throughout the narrative, he struggles with ethical dilemmas, the implications of corporate greed, and his own personal demons, including visiting Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

The film includes dodging surveillance cameras, stealing compromising papers, and culminating in a warehouse confrontation and symphony handover, emphasizing the public and private spaces that are the heart of the story's tension and intrigue.

Relay was produced by David Mackenzie, Basil Iwanyk, Gillian Berrie, and Teddy Schwarzman. Production began in April 2023 in New York City and went further in Jersey City, New Jersey. Production employed a combination of public roads, industrial areas, and residential zones.

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