Film Office issues nearly four thousand film permits
03 July 2023
The City of Cape Town’s Film Permit Office (FPO) has just concluded what
has been a busy 2022/23 financial year for film in the city. A review of the
FPO’s figures shows the past film season has been one the busiest post the
Covid-19 pandemic.
American Monsters, Blood and Water's Fourth Season, Come Dine with Me Cape Town and Fear Factor India were among some of the local and international productions filmed in Cape Town over the last 12 months.
Between July 2022 and July 2023 the City's Film Permit Office issued more than 3 900 film permits.
This includes feature films, commercials, TV series, stills photography, documentary films, short films, student projects and music videos.
While a majority of the permits issued were for commercials, the Mother City also hosted more than 100 large feature film productions and 499 TV series during that time.
The permit office also received bookings for more than 8 300 film locations over the same period.
These numbers 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. 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,' said Alderman JP Smith, the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security.
The film industry has proven itself a catalyst for economic growth, 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.
Film Tariffs
To support the growth in the industry and to assist the sector in reducing production costs, in July 2022 the City placed a freeze on all Safety and Security tariffs for filming within the city.
This includes costs for Traffic Services, Metro Police and Law Enforcement.
Altogether, the municipality saved the industry over R900 000 in costs through the tariff freeze.
The 2022/23 is the third time in recent years that the City has frozen tariffs to assist the industry during difficult times.
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
