The City of Cape Town’s Film Permit Office has recorded an increase in the number of filming permits issued during the 2023/24 financial year. A review of the statistics shows commercial shoots still hold the spotlight, but there is an uptick in feature films.
The Film Permit Office issued 4 757 film permits between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024 – a 22% increase from the 3 910 permits issued in the preceding financial year (2022/23).
This includes permits for feature films, commercials, TV series, stills photography, documentary films, short films, student projects and music videos.
The permit office also received bookings for more than 9 317 film locations in the same period.
Commercials make up the bulk of the film shoots over the last financial year, with 1 604 permits issued.
This was followed by micro shoots, at 962 permits.
There were 168 large feature films shot in Cape Town between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024. This has almost doubled from the previous year.
‘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. 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. Our Film Permit Office is geared to help the industry work effectively, by ensuring permits are processed timeously and providing efficient support where required,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
In an effort to further boost the film industry, the City froze tariffs for filming in Cape Town for the fourth year. This includes zero rated fees for the deployment of metro police and traffic services to assist where road closures are required.
The freeze on Safety and Security tariffs for filming has saved the film industry nearly R700 000 in production costs.
