The Film industry
is booming in Cape Town
The Western Cape of South Africa, with Cape Town
as her cover girl has become one of the prime locations
for shooting films and commercials for most international
film producers. Ebrhaim Rasoo, told the press Cape Town
will become the international 'Film City'.
by Anne Zaaijer
South Africa's political transformation in 1994 vastly
benefited the film and television production industry. Not
only did it broaden and liberalize the South African market,
but it also opened the world to national film producers
and vice versa. The film industry - still mainly dependent
of overseas producers- is one of the top five growth industries
in the Western Cape.
The opportunities for filming in the Western Cape are almost
unlimited. The Western Cape has got Alpine style mountains
and lakes, tropical beaches, rugged rocky coastlines, rolling
wheat fields and mysterious forests. And, of course, they
have the weather. It is guaranteed that the sun is shining,
at least for fourteen hours a day in the Cape, in the middle
of the European winter.
The region offers widely diverse geographical and architectural
locations within a short distance of the international airport.
From a Roman Colosseum, St Helena in the time of Napoleon's
exile, a Hong Kong street market, a Paris fashion show,
South Beach Miami, 1960's London as well as numerous other
generic American cities.
Besides the above-mentioned, the financially aspect filming
in Cape Town and its surroundings -shooting a film here
is at least 30% cheaper than in Europe and the States and
20% cheaper than in Australia - is attractive to overseas
film producers.
To engage the industry of filming, the Cape Film Commission
and thirty film companies in Cape Town are trying to develop
the market. Film industries in Europe and the States are
high-developed and offering South Africa big competition,
especially in post production facilities.
Still, the most lucrative part of the film industry in
the Cape is the international commercials business with
over 400 film shoots per year. Cape Town offers 6 equipment
rental companies, 25 plus stills production companies and
around 45 commercial service companies. The city attracts
58% of all commercial shoots. The average of 5 feature films
in 1995 has increased to 12 movies in 2002 and this number
seems to be growing.
Movies that have recently been shot in the Cape included
Country of my Skull featuring Juliette Binoche and Samuel
Jackson, Ultimatum with Vinnie Jones and Eddie Griffith,
The Piano Player, featuring Christopher Lambert and Dennis
Hopper and Manhunt with SA-born mummy star Arnold Vosloo.
By opening a post production facility in summer 2003, a
R 30 million boost, Cape Towns' key position in the film
industry has been confirmed. This enables international
film companies to complete their total film productions
in the city that is running to be the next Hollywood
|
