Things are looking up for the Cape Town film and commercials industry with the re-activation of the online booking system for film permits as well as reported improvements in the soured relationship between the Commercial Producers Association (CPA) and the Cape Film Commission (CFC).
Screen Africa reported in April that the situation in Cape Town looked dire after the resignation of the CPA and the South African Association of Stills Producers (SAASP) from the CFC in February, due to a lack of confidence in the CFC board and the fact that the turnaround of film permits remained slow while problems in accessing locations persisted.
Following a meeting in June between the CFC, CPA and Cape Town Film Permit Office (CTFPO), CPA chairperson Peter Carr says although there are many things that still need to be worked on, they are seeing action and a firm commitment towards improvements by the City of Cape Town.
“It is pleasing to announce that as a result of our complaints there is already a huge improvement in the standard of operations within the CTFPO which is really where most of our concerns lay. Head of the CTFPO Thembinkosi Sibanda announced at the meeting that the upgraded technical systems and additional staff have been approved in line with the CPA proposals made some time ago. Systems will be tested and staff trained ahead of next season for a much more efficient permit office,’ says Carr.
The city’s Online Film Location Booking System was re-activated on 4 July, after the previous bugs were fixed and further enhancements made. Due to requests from the industry the re-activation is also happening in the off-season while the old fax-driven system is being phased out.
CFC CEO Denis Lillie adds that the CTFPO has also increased their number of staff members and improved their technology. “We’re quite pleased with the improvements and have been hearing from experienced international filmmakers in the past few weeks who consider Cape Town one of the most film friendly cities in the world,’ says Lillie.
According to Carr they are taking positive steps on all their past issues, including a long term plan to recover some valuable locations that were red flagged or becoming expensive. “There’s some way to go but at least the various responsible parties and associations have come to agree on seeking amicable dealings with each other and are fixing the problems rather than just talking about them. The City has acknowledged the economic value of our industry and is motivated towards ensuring that Cape Town is the film friendly city that we market to our clients,’ explains Carr.
As for the relationship between the CPA and CFC, Carr says the CFC board announced at their meeting that their legal team was still busy with the restructuring of their articles of association. Therefore it could not discuss all the CPA’s concerns with the future board structure and future mandate of the CFC and their CEO.
“It was agreed that we would make a joint statement when we’ve reached agreement on issues that are still unresolved. What I can say is that we have agreed in the meantime to co-exist independently but on better terms and each party will act in the best interests of the development of the Cape film industry, especially when dealing with the CTFPO and in any areas where we have mutual interests,’ says Carr.
According to Lillie the issue will be tabled at the next CFC board meeting, but he expects the outcome of the talks to take the form of a memorandum of understanding between the CFC and CPA, and a better working relationship between the two organisations going forward.
In the meantime, Lillie says there is still “overwhelming’ interest in Cape Town as a location for commercials, films, documentaries and animation. After the recent Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) conference and locations show he received about 30 new enquiries from productions interested in shooting in Cape Town.
