Filming in Zambia
Filming in Zambia. Are you a media company, brand, ad agency or production company looking for film / photography production support or shooting crew in Zambia? Contact us for trusted fixers, producers, directors, DoPs, videographers, photographers, and full shooting crews tailored for the specific needs of your project.
For an introduction to shooting in Zambia 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.
Zambia Film Locations
Zambia is a landlocked country located in southern Africa. The country is blessed with many nature parks that are home to a diversity of wildlife including hippos, giraffes, elephants, crocodiles, zebras, big cats, monkeys, and a variety of birdlife.
Agricultural film locations include plantations of corn, soybean, cotton, sugarcane, sunflowers, wheat, tobacco, flowers, and various fruits. Industrial locations include copper mines and hydroelectric dams.
Film locations can be divided by the following provinces: Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Luapula, Lusaka, Muchinga, North-Western, Northern, Southern, and Western.
Located in the west of the country on the Zambezi River, the Victoria Falls are one of the world’s largest and most spectacular waterfalls. The naturally formed “Devil’s Pool” is a popular photographic location where you can sit in the water dangerously close to plunging over the edge of the falls.
The town of Livingstone is a hub for productions filming at the Victoria Falls.
Nearby Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park includes a beautiful section of the Victoria Falls. The park is home to white rhinos, giraffes, zebras, and elephants.
Kariba Dam is located on the Zambezi River.
Liuwa Plain National Park is located in the west of the country. The grassland landscape is home to cheetahs, hyenas, lions, and wildebeest.
Sioma Ngwezi National Park is located in the southwest of the country. Wildlife of note includes elephants, zebras, wild dog, and cheetahs.
Sioma Falls are beautiful waterfalls located in the west of the country.
Lusaka is the capital and the largest city.
Located to the east of Lusaka, Lower Zambezi National Park is home to a large elephant population, lion, leopard, wild dog, buffalo, crocodile and hippopotamus.
The centrally located Kafue National Park is home to antelopes, zebras, wildebeest, lions, hippos, crocodiles, elephants, leopards, hyenas, cheetahs, and wild dogs.
Kasanka National Park is also located in the centre of the country. The park is famous for the roughly 10 million fruit bats that migrate thousands of miles from as far away as West Africa to the park’s evergreen swamp forest between October and December each year.
Lochinvar National Park is located in the central part of the country. Wildlife of note include animals such as baboons, monkeys, wildebeest, and birdlife.
South Luangwa National Park is located in the east of the country. Its lagoons support a diversity of wildlife including hippos, crocodiles, giraffes, elephants, buffaloes, and birds.
The centrally located Blue Lagoon National Park is home to a beautiful blue lagoon.
Nsumbu National Park is located in the northeast of the country on the banks of Lake Tanganyika. The park is home to crocodiles, hippos, buffalos, zebras, hyenas, jackals, elephants, lions, leopards, and a diversity of bird and fish life.
Located in the northeast, the Bangweulu Swamps are an important wetlands location home to hundreds of bird species.
Lumangwe Falls, Ntumbachushi Falls, Mumbuluma Falls, and Kabwelume Falls in the north of the country are beautiful film locations.
Kitwe and Chingola are copper mining towns.
Zambia Film Location Permits
Media Accreditation from the Zambian Ministry of Information serves as a film permit to shoot in public locations across the country. See the visas and work permits section below for more information.
Once Media Accreditation is approved, our Zambian fixer can go ahead and apply for permits to film in national parks. Permits to film in national parks take about 5 days to process and cost USD60 per crew member per day.
Shoots that require control of public space or filming in locations such as public markets require additional permission. Our Zambian fixer will negotiate permission and fees on the local level and make sure the appropriate level of police support is in place for controlling traffic.
There are currently no restrictions to drone filming in Zambia.
Please contact us for location specific information.
When To Shoot in Zambia?
Although Zambia is hot all year round, it has three distinct seasons. December to April is the hot, wet season. The end of the wet season is the best time to film the Victoria Falls when the flow is strongest. May to August is the cool, dry season. September to November is the hot, dry season. The best time to film wildlife is at the end of the dry season when animals congregate around remaining water sources. For monthly weather statistics please see here.
Zambia Film Equipment
Zambia does not have any equipment rental houses so you will need to bring in all gear from abroad. South Africa is the closest major production centre for standard and specialised camera, grip and lighting equipment. If you are planning to bring in your own equipment and only have a small amount of gear, such as a Canon 5D, you may be able to get away with just bringing it in as personal effects. The moment you start looking like a film shoot (ie: bringing in lenses, heavy tripods, lights, several boxes of gear), your gear will require customs clearance. Our Zambian fixer can arrange gear importation through a customs clearance agent. We will require a full gear list including serial numbers for the application. Gear importation takes about 5 days to process and costs USD800. Our Zambian fixer or the customs agent will meet you at the airport to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Requirements to film in Zambia
You will need to be accredited by the Zambian Ministry of Information serves to get the filming permit to shoot in public locations across the country. Once Media Accreditation is approved, our Zambian fixer can go ahead and apply for permits to film in national parks. Permits to film in national parks take about 5 days to process and cost USD60 per crew member per day.
Shoots that require control of public space or filming in locations such as public markets require additional permission. Our Zambian fixer will negotiate permission and fees on the local level and make sure the appropriate level of police support is in place for controlling traffic.
There are currently no restrictions to drone filming in Zambia. Please contact us for location specific information.
Zambia Press Accreditation
The Media Accreditation in Zambia costs US$50 per crew member, is valid for 30 days, and takes anywhere from 5 to 10 working days to process. All film crew members are by law supposed to be accredited by the Zambian Ministry of Information serves. Local filming agents and Private production companies or individuals are requested to submit their applications through a local agent registered with the ministry. This requirement is mandatory for all applications to make feature films or documentaries in Zambia. Each crew member is required to fill a Zambia Film License Form (which we normally send to you) with all details, scan and send it back to us with a copy of his/her passport as well as one photograph to be put on his/her filming license. On top of this, we will need a letter from the filming company detailing who they are, why they are filming, where they will be filming and details of crew members on this shoot. We will attach this letter to all details provided and send them to the Zambian Ministry of Information serves for film license processing. This takes 4-5 working days to have these film licenses ready.
Zambia Visas & Work Permits Advice
Each crew members needs to purchase the tourist visa. Passport holders from Western countries can obtain visas on arrival in Zambia. Each visiting crew member must have Media Accreditation from the Zambian Ministry of Information to film in Zambia. A synopsis, crew passport information pages and photos, gear list, and a completed application must be submitted to our Zambian fixer who will include an invitation letter and lodge the application on behalf of the visiting crew. Once processed, either originals or copies of the Media Accreditation are sent to crew members to present at the port of entry. Originals must be kept on hand during filming. The Media Accreditation costs USD50 per crew member, is valid for 30 days, and takes anywhere from 5 to 10 working days to process.
Zambia Vehicle Hire Services
We will help you organize transport for film crews to film in Zambia depending on their chosen filming location interest, budget and the nature of roads in such selected locations to film in the park. We recommend Customized 4×4 Land Cruisers which costs from USD200-250 per vehicle per day with Driver/Fixer or 4×4 Safari Vans from USD200 per Van per day with driver/Fixer. For us to estimate how much it will cost in terms of fuel, we will need to look at your filming schedule to establish mileage and distance to be travelled.
Fixers in Zambia
All our vehicles come with drivers who act as location fixers and most of them have been to almost all parts of Zambia and are thus conversant with the local situations and are able to provide relevant information and fix any situation on ground. These act as intermediaries between you and our office while on location in Zambia. If you’re looking for a Zambia location fixer and scout in Zambia, we have produced and assisted production in multiple locations across Zambia.
Customs and Equipment in Zambia
We recommend you bring your equipment! Zambia does not have any equipment rental houses so you will need to bring in all gear from abroad. South Africa is the closest major production centre for standard and specialized camera, grip and lighting equipment. If you are planning to bring in your own equipment and only have a small amount of gear, such as a Canon 5D, you may be able to get away with just bringing it in as personal effects. The moment you start looking like a film shoot (ie: bringing in lenses, heavy tripods, lights, several boxes of gear), your gear will require customs clearance. Our Zambian fixer can arrange gear importation through a customs clearance agent. We will require a full gear list including serial numbers for the application. Gear importation takes about 5 days to process and costs USD800. Our Zambian fixer or the customs agent will meet you at the airport to ensure everything runs smoothly. We will handle the paperwork and help you bring your gear through customs clearance via a customs clearing agent which takes about 5 days to process.
Where to stay in Zambia
Lodge options to stay in during filming in Zambia range from Budget, mid-range to luxury options. Contact us here for details.
Why use Film Fixers to film in Zambia
Film Fixers is a local fixer company based in East Africa, we assist filming companies and Production agencies in Uganda and other African countries for the last 10 years. We handle all fixer services required with our professional team of local fixers and driver guides. We have all relevant connections with other service providers and government agencies to make sure that accreditation and filming permits in Zambia are processed in the shortest time possible. Contact us for details and all relevant information you would like to know for successful filming in Zambia.
