THE City has adopted a new film industry policy to strike a balance between growing the profitable industry while minimising the headache of a film shoot on the doorstep of residents and businesses.
The policy was adopted by Council this week following a public participation process which took place last year and solicited only 29 comments from academia, business, private residents and local residents’ associations, among others.
As part of its efforts to promote Cape Town as a premium film destination, the City also placed a freeze for the third time in recent years on all safety and security tariffs for the 2022/23 financial year which included the costs for Traffic Services, Metro Police and Law Enforcement to “assist the industry” to recover post Covid-19.
Mayco member for Safety and Security JP Smith said the film industry contributed more than R5 billion to the local economy annually, pre-Covid, and created more than 35 000 jobs.
This year, 4 221 permits were issued by the Film Permit Office and none had been issued yet for 2023.
“The (new) policy, which comes into effect immediately following the Council approval, will guide how the City of Cape Town works with role-players to build a film industry that contributes to City objectives, such as economic growth, job creation and social inclusivity.
“It will also give direction to the regulation process which will be detailed in the review of the Film By-Law,” said Smith.
Over the years, the City has attracted local and international film-makers but said it still experienced challenges which inhibited the growth and impact of the industry in Cape Town.
The challenges were related to external factors such as the rising production costs and global competition.
Other challenges included lack of new incentives offered by the City to drive and support the film industry, a need to increase infrastructure across the industry value chain as well as a need for increased inclusivity.
The new policy seeks to regulate and manage film activities to balance its economic activities with the concerns of impacted businesses and residents as well as to bring it in line with other pieces of legislation.
“The City wants to develop a well-resourced Film Office to promote Cape Town as a competitive film business destination, improving the film permitting and facilitation of services offered.
In terms of the new policy, the City might establish a Film Fund to provide support and discounts to the film industry:
* negotiate a series of rights in exchange for film-related activities or projects supported by the Film Fund such as promotion of the City’s brand through film credits;
* might require payment of an administration fee when considering an application to conduct filming;
* offer various forms of support to achieve job-creation and inclusivity;
* provide direct funding or subsidising the cost of City services or facilities;
* provide discounts to film productions that showcase or promote the City and support local emerging film-makers.
Some of the comments that the City received related to the Draft Policy were centred around the inconvenience of film shoots and how they affected ratepayers in residential areas and the ineffective regulation of filming in residential areas.
The most popular locations for film-makers are mostly in the CBD and include the Grand Parade, Lion’s Head, Artscape Theatre, St George’s Mall and Bo-Kaap.
Chairperson of the BoKaap Civic Association, Osman Shaboodien said the organisation welcomed the economic contribution that the film industry made to the city.
“It’s not a bad thing at all. But it’s a catch-22 situation. Economic benefits should also be used to uplift communities and address the legacies of the spatial inequalities. I don’t think jobs should come at all costs. We need to strike an acceptable balance,“ said Shaboodien.
While small traders at the Grand Parade said they were not affected by the film activities, businesses along Darling Street expressed concerns about the “huge impact” on their operations.
A manager at Eastern Food Bazaar Magdhi Lategan said the road closures due to filming drove customers away and also impacted on deliveries of stock.
“We have to fight with City staff to open roads to allow for deliveries to take place. Most of the time we do not even get notified in advance of a film shoot. It’s unfair.”.
Lategan emphasised that the businesses were not against the film industry and the economic value it had, but their concerns were directed at how the City regulated and managed the film activities so as not to “harm our businesses”.
Smith said the City working hard to “regain” the ground lost during Covid-19.
“Already the permit applications this year prove that film-makers and international clients are still interested in filming in Cape Town.
“With some of the best expertise in the world, together with our excellent locations and world-class infrastructure and the ability to make any production happen, Cape Town is set to retain its reputation as a global filming destination,” he added.