Zimbabwe Film & Photography Production Services & Camera Crews
Are you a media company, brand, ad agency or production company looking for film / photography production support or shooting crew in Zimbabwe? Contact us for trusted fixers, producers, directors, DoPs, videographers, photographers, and full shooting crews tailored for the specific needs of your project.
Filming in Zimbabwe
For an introduction to shooting in Zimbabwe see below notes on film locations, permits, when to shoot, unique local stories, costs, tax incentives, crews, talent, equipment, communications, art department, studios, post facilities, visas and work permits for filming, transport, film-friendly accommodation, and safety advice.
Zimbabwe Film Locations
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country in southern Africa known for its beautiful landscapes and diverse wildlife. The country is mostly savannah, with the mountainous eastern highlands supporting areas of tropical evergreen and hardwood forests. Film locations of note include rivers, waterfalls, forests, national parks, British colonial architecture, and a small city skyline.
Agricultural film locations include plantations of sugarcane, cotton, tobacco, coffee, peanuts, wheat, and corn. Zimbabwe mines chromite, asbestos, coal, copper, gold, nickel, and iron ore. Energy locations include hydroelectric stations.
Zimbabwe has hosted visiting productions including Dynasties: Painted Wolf (2018), The Amazing Race 30 (2018), Amazing Race 27 (2015), A Far Off Place (1993), and White Hunter Black Heart (1990).
Film locations can be divided into the following provinces: Bulawayo, Harare, Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Masvingo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, and Midlands.
Harare is the capital and largest city. The city is known for its small city skyscraper skyline, jacarandas in full bloom, colonial buildings, and manicured city parks. Film locations of note include Parliament House, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Museum of Human Sciences, Cathedral of St Mary and All Saints, National Heroes Acre designed by North Korea’s Mansudae Overseas Projects, Harare Gardens, Mbare Musika market, National Sports Stadium, Rufaro Stadium, Harare Central Station, Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, and Chikurubi Prison.
Harare has several wildlife viewing options within a 30min drive of the city centre. The Mukuvisi Woodlands are home to zebras, giraffes and antelope. Wild Is Life is a sanctuary for elephants, giraffes, and pangolins. Haka Camp Game Park is home to zebra, wildebeest, impala as well as a variety of bird life. Twala Trust Animal Sanctuary is a recovery centre for a range of sick and injured animals.
Bulawayo is a city in the southwest of the country known for colonial facades, green and bougainvillea coloured spaces, as well as abandoned industrial locations including a disused coal power plant complex available for filming.
Located on the Zambezi River in Victoria Falls National Park, Victoria Falls are one of the world’s largest and most spectacular waterfalls. The naturally formed “Devil’s Pool” is a popular location to safely film people bathing dangerously close to the waterfall’s edge. Victoria Falls also has a steam train that crosses a bridge over the Zambezi River.
Hwange National Park located in the west of the country is known for lions, elephants, hyenas, wild dogs, leopards, cheetahs, and a variety of birdlife.
Matobo National Park located in the southwest of the country is known for its granite kopjes and wooded valleys. The park is a great place to photograph white rhinos.
Mana Pools National Park is a Zambezi river flood plain that turns into lakes in the rainy season. The park is home to hippos, crocodiles, zebras, elephants, buffalos, lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, leopards, and hyenas. BBC’s Dynasties: Painted Wolf (2018) episode filmed in Mana Pools National Park.
Matusadona National Park is a landscape of flat plains and rugged mountains home to wildlife including elephants, buffalos, and zebras.
Zambezi National Park is located west of Victoria Falls. Wildlife includes elephants, lions, buffalos, leopards, zebras, and giraffes.
Nyanga National Park is located in the eastern highlands. Known for its green hills, rivers, and waterfalls, the park is dominated by Mount Nyangani, the highest peak in Zimbabwe. Wildlife of note includes lions, leopards, buffalos, and Samango monkeys.
Gonarezhou National Park is located in the south-east of the country. Its vast, rugged terrain could double for Colorado or Arizona. Wildlife of note include wild dogs, elephants, giraffes, hippos, buffalos, zebras, rhinos, lions, leopards, cheetahs, and hyenas.
Chizarira National Park is located in the north of the country. Wildlife of note include elephants, lions, leopards, buffalo, and a variety of birdlife.
Mutarazi Falls is a spectacular film location.
Great Zimbabwe is a ruined city in the south-eastern hills that was once the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe Film Location Permits
Wildlife parks and Victoria Falls are the most popular locations. Permit prices vary depending on the park, crew size, number of days filming, type of project and possible tourism benefit to Zimbabwe. In some cases filming on a private lease property is a better alternative. Our local fixer will negotiate the best rate for you. Allow up to 6 weeks for permitting. Same goes for shoots that require exclusive use of public space, such as a project that shuts down a street in Harare. B-roll shoots that do not take exclusive use of public space do not require additional permits beyond the shoot accreditation card you need to get before you go to Zimbabwe. Drone filming is permitted under very limited circumstances. Unauthorised photography of public infrastructure such as the Munhumutapa Building, which houses the President’s offices, may be punished with imprisonment. Contact us for location specific information.
When To Shoot?
November to March is the rainy summer season. The end of the rainy season is the best time to film the Victoria Falls when flow is strongest. Rains stop by April / May turning the landscape green and verdant. June to October is the hot, dry season with blue skies and excellent wildlife photography options as animals congregate around limited water sources towards the end of the season. For monthly weather statistics please see here.
The Jikinya Traditional Dance Festival takes place in November.
Zimbabwe is a predominately Christian country, so those holidays are observed.
Public holidays may affect timing, availability and costs. See here for public holiday dates in Zimbabwe.
Unique Local Stories
Brands are looking for local stories that match their brand narrative. Our local teams are a great lead for sourcing those unique stories and characters.
If you are looking for stories for your next shoot, send us your brief and we will pitch you ideas.
If you have a unique story you would like to pitch to a brand anywhere in the world, pitch us your idea. We have well-established processes to ensure that your ideas are properly seen and protected.
Costs & Tax Incentives
Costs. The USD is widely accepted. Locations, local talent and support crew are inexpensive but since little to no filming infrastructure exists most key crew and equipment must be brought in from abroad. Our Zimbabwean fixer will negotiate local deals and provide the appropriate level of production support to match every budget. Projects that are run as co-productions or projects that have tourism value for Zimbabwe may be eligible for waived fees.
Tax Incentives. At present there are no tax incentives for foreign commercials or films shooting in Zimbabwe.
Film Crew & Talent
Crews. Zimbabwe has a very small pool of local directors, videographers and stills photographers. Key crew should be brought in from abroad.
Contact us if you are looking for a director, DP, photographer, videographer (cameraman / camera operator), camera assistant (focus puller), sound operator, grip, gaffer, stylist, hair and makeup, PA / runner, production driver, or any other film crew for your shoot in Zimbabwe.
Talent day rates and buyouts are very reasonable and negotiated on a personal basis.
English is spoken in the cities although most people in rural areas speak Shona and Ndebele.
The largest ethnic groups are the Shona and Ndebele people. Minority groups include the Venda, Tonga, Shangaan, Kalanga, Sotho, Ndau, Nambya, Tswana, Xhosa and Lozi people. Zimbabwe also has a small minority of white Zimbabweans. All other talent needs to be brought in from abroad.
Zimbabwe Film Equipment
Equipment. Zimbabwe has basic camera, grip and lighting equipment available for rent locally. Drones are also available. South Africa is the closest major film production centre where crews and equipment can be brought in from. If you are looking to bring in film gear a temporary import permit is required. Our local fixer will arrange for a local guarantor and meet you at the airport to ensure all runs smoothly. Temporary import of gear costs are somewhere from 2-5% of the value of the gear.
Communications. Communication is key. Our agility and global experience allows us to customise the right communications systems for every shoot.
Web posted casting, scouting, and videoconferencing.
For clients that are unable to attend set we offer a virtual video village solution. This dedicated and secure high-resolution video streaming platform allows clients from one or multiple timezones to view setups without compromise and to participate in real-time with the team on set. Separate systems can be set up for the discrete conversations that are required to make a job run right. Working remotely with our local teams reduces your content production costs, turnaround times, carbon footprint, and risks associated with unpredictable global events.
Art Department, Studios, Backlots, & Post Production
Art department and set construction is very basic.
Studios. No dedicated facilities specialising in this.
Post Production. Post abroad.
Visas & Work Permits
Passport holders from Western countries can obtain visas on arrival.
Accreditation is required for each visiting crew member. The ministry charges USD2000 for the shoot accreditation application, plus USD200 per crew member. The accreditation must be carried at all times when filming.
Transport & Accommodation
Transportation Infrastructure. Major roads between tourist destinations are in an excellent condition. Rural roads are in a poorer condition although floods and severe storms are rare. Avoid travelling at night. Our Zimbabwean film fixer organises safe and reliable 4WD transport. Police checkpoints are common throughout the country. Several international airlines service flights to Zimbabwe.
Accommodation. Good accommodation options ranging from hotels to home rentals exist for all types of productions. Recommended film friendly hotels in Zimbabwe include:
Victoria Falls:
Victoria Falls Hotel
Harare:
Meikles Hotel
Bronte “the Garden” Hotel
Please contact us for corporate rates.
Final Notes
Safety. See here for up to date travel advice.
Down Time. Visit the spectacular Victoria Falls. Local dishes of note include mopane, nyama, mabhonzo emombe, kapenta, muriwo unedovi and sadza, derere, gango, mufushwa, muboora, zondo, and maheu.
Projects. For an example of TV commercials, stills campaigns, online content, corporate videos, virtual reality 360 content, feature films, TV series and documentaries shot in Zimbabwe, please see below:
Hire Zimbabwe Production Support & Shooting Crew
If you are looking for a film or photographic production service company, line producer or fixer for your shoot in Zimbabwe, please contact us.
If you are looking for a shooting crew for your shoot in Zimbabwe, such as a director, DoP, photographer, videographer (cameraman / camera operator), camera assistant (focus puller), sound operator, grip, gaffer, stylist, hair and makeup, PA / runner, production driver, please contact us.
We are able to provide you with answers, references and bids quickly.
