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."