Mozambique is an exotic film production destination and dishes up some exquisite options for location shooting in southern Africa. Whether it is the bush you’re looking for or endless white sandy beaches with warm Indian Ocean water lapping onto the roots of countless swaying palm trees – Mozambican biodiversity is rich with a wide range of incredible wildlife species abounding. As film fixers in Mozambique, we can offer your production a full spectrum of film services, advise you on the advantages and find solutions for the pitfalls of shooting on location in this interesting county.
Mozambique has a distinct culture. It derives most of its history of Bantu and Swahili rule but the Portuguese colonization between 1890 and 1930 also had a significant impact on Mozambican identity especially in terms of language, arts, cuisine and entertainment.
Looking at filming on location in Mozambique from a historical point of view, your options are ample. For one, you can take a drone to the skies to capture the ruins of the Manyikeni archaeological site which dates to the 12th century and lies about 52km west of Vilanculos – a coastal town in the Inhambane province. To use a drone, you will need a drone usage authorization license that can be obtained from the Civil Aviation Authority. Our in-country team of fixers and producers are ready to take care of your shooting permits, location scouting and permits as well as handling the drone license of which you will need to show an original copy.
A drone will not fly by itself. Luckily, we have a database of trusted partners to source local film crew ranging from drone operators, line producers, Director/DOP’s, Art Directors and any other essential part of your film unit. We also pride ourselves on delivering excellent post production solutions. In terms of film equipment, we can advise you to bring in your own because options are still fairly limited in Mozambique. When doing so you will however require special import permits as Mozambique is not an ATA Carnet country. To obtain this import permit we will have to apply manually and negotiate rates on your behalf; the advantages of having this process handled by our local experts on the ground are undoubtedly endless. Errors in this application process can lead to long delays and much more money spent.
In terms of access, the best way to reach the capitol of Maputo and other destinations like Vilanculos and Beira, is by air. Flights are relatively frequent and easy to find from Johannesburg, South Africa. We have all the country specific know-how when it comes to obtaining visas for international cast and crew. Travel and accommodation options are good in Maputo, Vilankulos and the island tourist of Bazaruto and Benguerra which are situated about 35km off the coast. In terms of roads though, the further you travel away from Maputo, the worse the quality of the road becomes. It’s important to procure the use of a 4×4 vehicle and imperative to travel with local crew to navigate the possibility of bribery in more remote areas.
Our local team offers years of experience in circumnavigating the more challenging aspects of film logistics in Mozambique to ensure that you can reach and film at any location you desire with peace of mind.
