by Thinus Ferreira
Cape
Town's film biz is on the rebound with local and international filmmaker
flocking back to the Cape Town after the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown with the
city's Film Permit Office (FPO) that issued 3 900 permits over the past year
with more than 100 feature films and 499 TV series which filmed scenes in the
Mother City.
A review of the FPO's latest figures shows that the past film season - when local and international filmmakers flock to Cape Town during the warmer months to film anything from international car commercials to American series - was one of the busiest yet after the Covid-19 pandemic.
TV shows like American Monsters, the fourth season of Netflix South Africa's Blood and Water, Come Dine with Me Cape Town from BBC Studios Africa and even Fear Factor India were among some of the local and international productions that brought their clapper board to Cape Town over the last 12 months.
While Cape Town's Darling, Keerom, Leeuwen and Dorp Streets are extremely popular due to architecture that can resemble European locations, Kogelbaai beach, Camps Bay, Clifton's Fourth Beach and Muizenberg beach all remain extremely popular on-set scenic locations for the film industry.
Between July 2022 and July 2023 Cape Town's FPO issued more than 3 900 film permits, which included feature films, TV commercials, TV series, stills photography, documentary films, short films, student projects and music videos.
While a majority of the permits issued were for TV commercials, the Mother City also hosted more than 100 large feature film productions and 499 TV series during that time. The FPO also received bookings for more than 8 300 film locations over the same period with the numbers that represent a significant improvement in interest in Cape Town as a film destination since the 2021/22 financial year when 7 400 location bookings were processed.
"This past season we have seen a number of international feature film and TV series productions heading to our shores as we steadily recover from the impact of the pandemic," says Alderman JP Smith, the city's mayoral committee member for safety and security.
Cape Town's film industry, according to a study commissioned by the city shows that the film industry contributes approximately R5 billion to the local economy annually and has created more than 35 000 jobs.
"The local film industry has also done an incredible job in attracting international brands to film their commercials here in Cape Town."
"The uptake in filming the past year is made possible by Cape Town's reputation of a world-class local film industry, by having a competent and efficient Film Office and the fact that we have some of the best locations in the world within a few kilometres of the city centre."
