District 12 is supposed to be coal mining country, and the producers made that part of the movie in nearby North Carolina because of how it looked like Kentucky and Western Pennsylvania. The best part of all? Jennifer Lawrence, who won the role of Katniss over some tough competition, is from that neck of the woods. She was born and raised in Louisville, KY. Her big breakout film—Winter's Bone, which scored her an Oscar nomination—is set in the same patch of turf. She really is Katniss, isn't she? (Source)

Gary Ross was an old Hollywood hand by the time he got to The Hunger Games, and frankly, blockbusters are in his blood. His father, Arthur A. Ross, was also a screenwriter whose credits include The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Great Race, and a whole passel of television shows. Arthur Ross was blacklisted during the Red Scare of the 1950s, which may have helped his son understand what it means to have a whole government or society turn against you. (Source)

If Liam Hemsworth's name sounds familiar, it probably is. He has an older brother named Chris, who happens to star in a completely different series of blockbuster films you may have heard of. 

Your grandparents might find that Katniss's mockingjay whistle sounds familiar. It was the love theme from the 1968 film Romeo and Juliet. Those original "star cross'd lovers" had a few obstacles to their relationship, too. Unfortunately, their suicide pact succeeded. (Source)