Red tape reatens local film industry

Red tape, including complex new visa regulations, threatens to disrupt the growth of South Africa's booming film industry, which has created thousands of jobs in recent years and boosted the national purse. by Bekezela Phakathi

Spearheaded by Cape Town, the sector has attracted A-list actors and crews from across the world for the shooting of high-profile movies such as Safe House, with the renowned US actor Denzel Washington.

The immigration regulations, which came into effect last week, introduce a new visa regime.

The regulations stipulate that applications must be made in person, and those wanting to change the status of their visa may no longer do so in South Africa, but must do so at missions abroad.

Film industry players say that A-list actors and film crews simply do not have the time to leave wherever they are to go and apply for visas in their home countries. It was reported at the weekend that the US drama series Homeland, due to start filming in Cape Town this month, had to reschedule production due to the visa changes and that this could cost the production team a lot of money.

Cape Town Film Studios CEO Nico Dekker said the new regulations, which were introduced without much consultation with the film industry, could add undue layers of red tape for production houses looking to shoot in South Africa.

The film industry is a golden goose for the South African economy we should do everything to make sure that it continues to grow. Mr Dekker called on the government to focus on creating a friendlier environment for the film industry to continue to grow.

Global Migration SA warned last week that the extra administrative burden on applicants, together with slow processing of visa applications, compulsory overseas filing and a generally unfriendly set of rules, will sadly make investors think twice about our country as their first choice in Africa.

Despite red tape, Mr Dekker said the film industry had had a couple of good years. He still expected more high-profile movies and series to be shot in Cape Town in the coming months. Cape Town Film Studios had, in recent months, been overwhelmed by requests from leading international production houses such as Paramount Pictures, Fox, Sony and Disney - all keen to use its studios. The company was established three-and-a-half years ago.

So far we have had to turn down 30 jobs from some of the leading production houses in the world we are overbooked.

The industry has shown impressive signs of growth. According to the latest investment report of the Cape Town Central City Improvement District, more than 60 films were shot in SA in 2012, up from only five in 2005. The National Film and Video Foundation said that the industry added R3.5bn to the national purse in 2012.

Mr Dekker said that production houses using his studios over the past three-and-a-half years had created 35,000 jobs and contributed R5bn to the economy.

The studios, which had some of the latest equipment, had changed the impression that producers had of the city and SA.

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