Thursday, July 4, 2024

Issued Cape Town film permits up 22% as movie-making becomes all-year business while feature film production make steady gains.


by Thinus Ferreira

International and local TV commercials filmed in sun-drenched Cape Town still reign supreme as the bulk of film permits issued by the Mother City but as the city transitions to an all-year filming destination the production of feature films is ticking up too.

More filmmaking in Cape Town, as well as more filmmaking all year round, has led to an overall increase of 22% in the number of film permits issued by Cape Town over the past year.

The City of Cape Town's Film Permit Office recorded an increase in the number of permits issued during the 2023/24 financial year: Up from 3 910 to 4 757 for the period between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024. 

That's a 22% increase overall, with TV adverts called TVCs still comprising the bulk of film shoots over the past financial year (1 604 permits issued). 

This was followed by 962 permits for "micro-shoots". There were also 168 large local and international feature films shot in Cape Town over the past year – almost double from the previous year.

Over the past 12 months, Cape Town issued permits for the filming of local and international feature films, commercials, TV series, stills photography, documentary films, short films, student projects and music videos. In addition, the permit office also received bookings for more than 9 317 film locations in the same period.

To boost Cape Town's film industry, the city froze tariffs for filming in the city for the fourth consecutive year. 

This includes zero rated-fees for the deployment of metro police and traffic services who help with road closures, while the freeze on safety and security tariffs for filming has saved the film industry R700 000 in production costs.

"In the past, Cape Town attracted a lot of film productions during the summer season due to a number of factors, including our beautiful long summer days," says Alderman JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety and security in Cape Town.

"However, what we are seeing over the last couple of years is that filming is increasingly becoming an all-year business and this is good for both the industry and Cape Town."

"We are seeing more and more productions taking place in the winter months and this was the case for the concluding financial year. This is critical for an industry that contributes billions to the economy and employs over 30 000 people."