Why Film in Cape Town/ Western Cape?

Cape Town’s peak summer season not only makes it a key spot for local and international tourists but also for film. City roads and beaches literally light up with film shoots, camera cranes, swimsuit models and even a few international celebrities. However the Western Cape film industry has benefits beyond spotting a celeb or two.

The high production values and developed film infrastructure on which Cape Town and the Western Cape has built its reputation are complemented by spectacular locations, sunny weather (in the Northern Hemisphere’s winter) and 14-hour days of radiant light. Beyond the excellent facilitation services available to productions, South African crew are also renowned for their high standard of skill in the production environment.

Although in recent years, the enchanting Cape Town has become the centre of the international production industry, the city is also the perfect launch pad to a variety of exotic locations in Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands, many of which enjoy an equable annual climate. Other areas of location production such as Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal also offer wonderfully contrasting landscapes. Cape Town alone has doubled for a multitude of international locations, beyond representing it’s own natural beauty.

Milestones?
Cape Town has been the choice destination for a number of recent big budget films. These include Blood Diamond, Roland Emmerich’s upcoming epic adventure “10 000 BC”; the upcoming “Disgrace” starring John Malkovich; “Ask the Dust” with Slama Hayek and Colin Farrell and Director William Niccol’s $50 million “Lord of War” starring Nicholas Cage, Jared Leto and Ethan Hawke. The film incorporated some 19 different key locations in Cape Town, standing in for other parts of Africa and the world.

Cape Town has also had great success with co-productions. Charlie Jade, the sci-fi series that has received much international acclaim was a co-production between South Africa and Canada. South Africa also shares co-production treaties with Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and a Memorandum of Understanding with India.

Locally, South Africa has shown it’s worth with the Oscar winning “Tsotsi”; “uCarmen eKhayelitsha”, which won the Golden Bear at the prestigious Berlinale Film Festival in 2005; “Dollars and White Pipes” and “The Story of an African Farm.”

Challenges?
One of the reasons Cape Town’s facilitation services are so renowned is that our professional English-speaking crew, get the job done, efficiently overcoming every possible obstacle. Being at the Southern most tip of the African continent puts Cape Town in a very remote position in terms of the world’s leading film industries. However, cost comparisons and a favourable exchange rate have still made Cape Town one of the most affordable production destinations in the world. Lobbying to city and regional government representatives, Cape Town’s Film Commission has managed to bring down the cost of film tariffs for public spaces by 50% during the 2005/2006 season and will see the City of Cape Town officially wavering film tariffs for all public locations within the city.

Other challenges the Cape Town film industry faces is lack of necessary skills, which through numerous projects that the Cape Film Commission has been engaging in over the past two to three years, is being addressed very successfully.

The Western Cape Film Industry’s current position?
Cape Town and the Western Cape film industry is considered one of the leading international commercial production destinations in the world and has seen an immense increase in feature film production over the 2005/2006 financial year. The region’s industry contributes some ZAR 3.5 billion to South Africa’s Gross Domestic Product and provides an average 6 850 full time jobs which is set to double over the next four years.

The future of the Western Cape Film Industry?
With the attention of the world turning to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup, cape Town will be engaging in numerous efforts not only to accommodate media and commercial industries leading up to the World Cup Soccer, but also to reach new production highs following this international event. The industry is steadily becoming noticed on all business, government and public fronts as a serious and beneficial industry set to provide immense spin-offs for the tourist, hospitality, catering, equipment rental, private and transport sectors.

Laurence Mitchell Commissioner

Bianca Mpahlaza Public Relations

The Cape Film Commission?
The Cape Film Commission as the official representative of the film industry for the City of Cape Town has as its mandate not only to market and promote Cape Town and the Western Cape as a leading production destination but also fosters the economic development of the Western Cape’s film industry. The CFC has set in motion a strategy based on the three pillars of growth, integration and transformation. The CFC's vision is to position the Western Cape and Cape Town as a globally competitive film destination, thereby creating sustainable jobs and business opportunities, boosting tourism, and developing core skills.

The CFC has achieved this through various undertakings, working with local and provincial government as well as the public and private sectors, forming valuable partnerships that not only promote the industry but also skills development and preparation for a rapidly growing industry. The CFC achieves this by:

CFC Impact Assessment Report Breakfast Briefing Cape Town, Arabella Sheraton 02 March 2007

1. Marketing the Cape film industry internationally, nationally and locally via hosting of national and international delegations, international trade shows and expos.
2. Facilitating investment and developing the film industry in the Western Cape and Cape Town by engaging potential interests and providing support and serving as a central point for all film related information.
3. Providing logistical support, guidance and advice to the film industry regarding production in the region.

PDF Document: Summary    Slide Show: Impact Assessment Report

For more information regarding filming in the Cape Town and the Western Cape, contact the Cape film Commission: