City invites comment on the draft Filming By-law
20 June 2023
The City of Cape Town’s Events and Film Department is calling on
residents, stakeholders and interested parties to comment on the Draft Filming
By-law, which seeks to replace the City’s Filming By-law of 2005.
The Draft Filming By-law aims to empower the City of Cape Town's Film Permit Office (FPO) to better manage and regulate filming activities within the metro.
The Events and Film Department, in consultation with the Safety and Security Portfolio Committee, has drafted the document to ensure Cape Town's management and regulation of filming is in line with international standards.
When council adopted the City's Film Policy in 2022, it sought to position Cape Town as a globally competitive film destination renowned for the quality and variety of its world class locations and facilities and paved the way for the amendments to the Filming By-law.
'These amendments to the Filming By-law are in line with that resolution of council which sought to further position Cape Town as a city that creates an environment that supports the development of the filming sector for economic growth while also effectively managing film-related activities in an efficient and sustainable manner to the satisfaction of all residents, role-players and stakeholders. We believe this bylaw will allow our film permit office to better identify where and when filming is taking place on private property and to mitigate any possible challenges that residents and filmmakers might have,' said the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security Alderman JP Smith.
The City's Filming By-law aims to, among other things:
- manage and regulate filming activities on private and public property in an effective, consistent and sustainable manner
- identify the types of filming activities that require a film permit
- simplify the film permit application and appeals process
- allow the City to act to ensure compliance
- protect the City and authorised City officials when carrying out any duty or function in terms of this By-law
'The Events and Film Department has spent a considerable amount of time working with councillors in the portfolio committee to ensure we come out with a document that simplifies the permission process for the film industry while also considering the needs of residents. We are calling on all residents, members of the film industry, businesses and any affected parties to submit their comments for consideration. We want to ensure that we pass a by-law that takes into account the views of all those impacted by these amendments,' said Safety and Security Portfolio Committee Chairperson, Councillor Mzwakhe Nqavashe.
The public participation period will be from 23 June until 24 July.
All comments or suggestions received will be considered for inclusion.
Submit comments, input and recommendations by:
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
