South Africa’s oldest city is its highest profile actress.

Cape Town stars in commercials and feature films all round the world, and has become a favoured location for filmmakers keen to make use of the city and its environs’ natural beauty, as well as to employ a technically advanced film industry that can compete with that of Europe, Asia or the US for skills and savvy.

In 2004, the City of Cape Town formally committed to a film friendly approach by approving a film policy and protocol. The policy works to establish effective and appropriate management of film related activities and the development of the local film industry.

The policy includes a useful guide covering permit applications including; traffic control, environmental requirements, construction of film sets, special effects and stunts, medics/paramedic requirements, and crew conduct.

The City of Cape Town Film Permit Office (CTFPO) provides a one-stop shop for the management of all aspects of the policy and permitting for film related activities on Council owned land within the jurisdiction of the City of Cape Town municipality. The CTFPO also advises when permissions are required from other authorities.

In further offering on-set assistance for production, The City of Cape Town funds an independent project run by the Cape Film Commission, called the Film Unit Liaison Officer Programme (FULO). FULO’s are deployed to high impact shoots where locations are commercially, culturally or environmentally sensitive. They are specifically trained in the production process, health and safety and conflict management. FULO’s are allocated free of charge and may be requested by the production company when applying for a permit.

International’s interested in filming in the Western Cape can be assured that local facilitating production companies are completely abreast with local filming protocol and are suitably equipped to ensure a successful filming experience.

The Cape Town Film Permit Office may be contacted on +27 (0) 21 483 9060 or Fax +27 (0) 21 483 9061.