South Africa Borders Now Open For Production
After several months under strict restrictions, South Africa will be reopening its borders for international travel on 1st October 2020. In an announcement, President Cyril Ramaphosa stated: “We are ready to open our doors again to the world and invite travellers to enjoy our mountains, our beaches, our vibrant cities, and our wildlife game parks in safety and confidence.”
The news comes just ahead of South Africa’s busiest production season and is a welcome development for UK-based global production company, FAMILIA, who accredits 70% of its production work from 2018 to South Africa. Executive Producer, Toby Walsham says: “I couldn’t be happier to hear that South Africa is bouncing back after the pandemic and is ready to open its borders again. The timing couldn’t be more perfect – the UK’s summer is coming to a close and we need options for those good weather scripts.”
With South African directors on its roster and an office in Cape Town, FAMILIA has held a South African production offering for over six years. "Having an office in South Africa is a huge advantage - especially for any upcoming shoots where crew travel may be restricted to a select few,” Toby highlights.
With talent based in the Cape Town and Johannesburg, and one of their founders hailing from South Africa, FAMILIA has deep roots in the country. They recently signed incredible female director Zandi Tisani. as well as Fausto Becatti whose visuals are striking and exuberant. View his reel here.
A still from Zandi Tisani’s hilariously relatable spot for Nando’s. View the ad and more of her incredible work here.
On the depth and breadth of South Africa’s production offering, Toby comments: “South Africa isn’t just a great location for amazing landscapes, there’s so much more to it than that - something I learned a few years ago when I worked on a Superdrug studio shoot. At the time I wondered why I would fly across the world to shoot something in a studio that I could do in the UK. It came down to value for money. With some smart producing and a strong exchange rate, we could get two additional days in South Africa. And the exchange rate is even stronger now than it used to be, meaning you can stretch your budget far further than you can locally.”
“We’re buzzing with excitement at the news that South Africa is ready to welcome back it’s international clients and we can’t wait to get back to filming in this beautiful, versatile country with some of its very best talent.”
To find out more about production in South Africa and the latest travel and safety rules, please head over to this link. Countries that will be included on the travel list are TBC.
For more on FAMILIA, please visit: https://www.wearefamilia.com/
