WHAT OUR FILM FIXERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT FILMING ON LOCATION IN LIBYA, NORTH AFRICA
Libya is one of Africa’s largest countries situated in North Africa. Libya is bordered to the north by the Mediterranean Sea, the west by Tunisia and Algeria, the southwest by Niger, the south by Chad, the southeast by Sudan, and the east by Egypt. Known for its Mediterranean coastline, desert landscapes, souks, ancient ruins and home to the largest irrigation project in the world. Extensive oil & gas facility and farms of olives, dates, wheat, barley and a range of fruits.
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. Castles, the Royal Palace, Mosques, the Old Clock Tower and the Museum of Libya are but a few of the film locations to consider. South west of Tripoli is the fortified granary and to the northwest, Ghadames a unique desert oasis town.
To the east we have Benghazi with its elegant whitewashed homes of the Italian Quarte, Benghazi Cathedral and lighthouse. Tobruk, known for the famous WWII battle is also in this part of Libya. Wadi el Kuf Bridge is one of the largest bridges in Africa. A large number of Libya’s oil fields are in the east.
In the south west, the Gaberoun oasis is a large lake surrounded by date palms, a deserted Bedouin village, and Sahara Desert sand dunes. Waw an Namus volcano is a spectacular oasis inside a volcanic crater.The Acacus Mountains in western Libya offer beautiful rocky, arid looks including Moul n’ga Cirque and the arches of Afzejare and Tin Khlega.
Journalist Visa Process
The process is divided into two stages:
Stage 1 (before arrival):
- You need to visit the nearest Libyan Embassy and apply for journalist visa. We were informed that nearly all applications are approved without any difficulties.
- The embassy then requests the “approval” from the FMD in Tripoli.
- The FMD then sends the approval to the embassy, together with the customs clearance (for the equipment to be brought into the country).
- Then you need to re-visit the embassy to provide a list of all the equipment to be brought into Libya.
- Finally the embassy issues the visa stamp and the customs clearance for the equipment.
Stage 2 (after arrival):
- With the visa stamp in your passport you travel to Libya.
- After arrival in Libya, your first point of contact is the FMD (Foreign Media Department) in Tripoli, to provide them with a full list of all the sites you would like to visit or film.
- Finally, the FMD will issue the necessary ‘permission’ to film the listed sites, and an ‘ID’, which you must carry with you at all times.
