Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Lights, camera, action
City film office issues 193 permits as industry reopens
IT’S lights, camera, and growing action as the local film industry slowly returns to work.
“Since last month, the Film Office has issued 193 permits,” said Richard Bosman, executive director for safety and security for the City.
“This is on par with previous years. This is low season for the film industry. The high season kicks off in October.”
Bosman said the City was monitoring 11 on-going productions, including two feature films, two series, three commercials, two still shoots, and two documentaries.
All productions have to abide by strict health and safety protocols.
As part of incentives, the City put a freeze on location fees for productions filming on City property, as well as production company fees for setting up bases and holding areas.
Monica Rorvik, head of film and media promotion for the Western Cape Tourism, Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, said the local film industry was one of the hardest hit sectors during the ‘hard’ lockdown.
“During level 5, documentarians were allowed to continue shooting as an essential service, with gaming, animation and visual effects companies able to work from home and continue business as usual,” Rorvik said.
Since level 4, production was being allowed in studios and on some locations where safety guidelines were approved. Most locations opened in level 3, with the added benefit of travel between provinces allowing shooting at locations inter-provincially.
Rorvik said the country’s global reputation as a filming location was not negatively affected.
“Locations were shut down globally due to the pandemic – this wouldn’t have disrupted our international standing. With lockdown starting slightly earlier than what is traditionally our off season, we were able to ride a bit of the hard closed period with development processes.
“Our international investors are looking at South Africa again, and have been in touch throughout. Netflix even extended support to SA film industries with their global Covid relief fund, which shows that our locations and industry value chain remained on the consideration list,” she said.
One of the projects currently filming in Cape Town is a new theatrical drama directed by Bonnie Rodini. For Rodini, the project has been a long time coming. “I’m still pinching myself. We’ve been so busy trying to get it together, I don’t think it’s landed. Maybe once we’re in the editing suite or when we sell it, those will be big moments for me. But for now, let’s get it done,” she said.
Rodini was left in the lurch by the growing coronavirus crisis in March after the project she was working on as a casting director, an adaptation of
starring British actor David Tennant, which was being filmed in South Africa, was halted.
The new film marks Rodini’s debut as a feature film director with a career in the industry spanning 17 years.
She is most well-known as writer and producer of the 2004 film adaptation of
After a few months sitting at home, Rodini decided to try putting together her passion project with a small budget raised by increasing the bond on her house, and with a crew working for deferred payments once the film is finished and sold to distributors.