Cape Town is cementing its position as a leading creative hub in the global entertainment industry by signing a lease for land to set up a new movie studio.

The ZAR900 million film set will be built on land owned by the metro municipality in Paardevlei, Somerset West, reports Engineering News.

Cape Point Film Studios is planning to convert existing buildings into international-quality facilities that will in time also feature a sea and underwater sound stage production precinct.

‘This lease carries the potential to create hundreds of jobs, generate almost ZAR1 billion in the local economy, and boost tourism to Cape Town,’ says councillor James Vos, who is in charge of economic growth for the city.

‘According to the South African Cultural Observatory mapping study of 2022, the cultural and creative industries contributed R161 billion to the country’s gross domestic product in 2020.’

It is not the only local film studio operating in the immediate area. Cape Town Film Studios, which set up shop in 2010 along the R310 on the way to Stellenbosch, has hosted the production of major movies such as Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and Denzel Washington’s Safe House.

10 December 2024
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