{"id":7853,"date":"2020-11-24T15:05:29","date_gmt":"2020-11-24T13:05:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/?p=7853"},"modified":"2020-11-24T15:08:13","modified_gmt":"2020-11-24T13:08:13","slug":"kzn-south-coast-in-the-spotlight-9-reasons-why-its-a-top-film-location","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/travel-advisory\/kzn-south-coast-in-the-spotlight-9-reasons-why-its-a-top-film-location\/","title":{"rendered":"KZN South Coast in the spotlight: 9 reasons why it\u2019s a top film location"},"content":{"rendered":"

South Africa has fast become an in-demand film location, but for production scouts seeking sites with expansive natural offerings, temperate climates and uninterrupted filming, the KZN South Coast is a prime location.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cThe KZN South Coast has attracted a number of local and international film makers over the years, and we truly believe it is on track to become one of the country\u2019s leading locations for a number of reasons,\u201d explained CEO of Ugu South Coast Tourism, Phelisa Mangcu, said: \u201cFrom a tourism perspective, this is hugely beneficial as a form of job creation and economic growth, but it also gives far-reaching audiences the chance to see the incredible sites found here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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1. Diverse aquatic locations<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

When it comes to water-based filming, the KZN South Coast has every natural aquatic feature available, including five of the province’s six Blue Flag Beaches – internationally-rated for their water quality, hygiene, safety and environmental management.\u00a0From the warm Indian Ocean lapping the shores, through to the many tidal pools, rivers, estuaries, lakes and dams that provide the ideal backdrop or sites for boating and water sports. The pristine coastal waterfalls create iconic locations and there are two world-renowned dive sites \u2013 Aliwal Shoal and Protea Banks \u2013 for underwater footage.<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. Unique cultural and heritage sites <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

From the coastal shores through to the hinterland, the KZN South Coast boasts an immense selection of distinguishing cultural and heritage sites. These include the ancient KwaXolo Caves, home to centuries-old San paintings; traditional sites such as Isivivane seNkosi uShaka, the KwaNzimakwe Multi-Trails, and Ntelezi Msane Heritage Site; the world\u2019s smallest desert \u2013 Red Desert; age-old lighthouses and a number of shipwreck sites. There is also the famous Dezzi Raceway, ideal for nail-biting action scenes!<\/span><\/p>\n

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3. Diverse landscape <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

When it comes to settings, the KZN South Coast\u2019s landscape is as diverse as it is captivating. Found in this region are protected coastal forests, Blue Flag beaches, 11 idyllic golf courses, nature and game reserves, parks, cliffs, gorges and valleys\u2026alongside the afore-mentioned aquatic sites.<\/span><\/p>\n

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4. Wildlife experience<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

With its abundance of natural landscapes, the KZN South Coast also has a variety of wildlife and unique natural experiences. These include annual winter Sardine Run and whale migration, with the local game reserves home to African wildlife including zebra, giraffe and buck. The nature reserves echo the call of hundreds of bird species, many of which are unique to the area, as well as smaller wildlife such as civet, genet and Vervet monkeys.<\/span><\/p>\n

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5. Proven film destination<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Many filmmakers have discovered the benefits of selecting the KZN South Coast as a site location, including Discovery, National Geographic and Nat Geo Wild. The site has also welcomes feature filmmakers and television crews \u2013 local and international \u2013 with episodes of Netflix show, The Kissing Booth, recently filmed at Clansthal. USCT also supports the annual Ugu Film Festival which promotes the local film industry, as well as hosting the KZN Film Commission recently.<\/span><\/p>\n

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6. Minimal red tape <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The KZN South Coast boasts film-friendly municipal by-laws as a way to encourage this burgeoning industry and attract film crews to the area.<\/span><\/p>\n

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7. Ease of accessibility<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

On-site is Margate Airport, with King Shaka Airport directly accessed along the national highway, the N2. From Scottburgh, it is only a 30-minute drive to Durban, and a seven-hour drive to Johannesburg, or less than an hour by plane.<\/span><\/p>\n

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8. Accommodation offerings<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Film crews can be easily accommodated throughout the KZN South Coast in everything from the budget-friendly self-catering units through to five-star resorts.<\/span><\/p>\n

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9. Ideal climate<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

With its year-round warm weather and sunny days, the KZN South Coast is a location which allows for uninterrupted filming, ensuring everything is kept within budget.<\/span><\/p>\n

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To find out more about the KZN South Coast, simply download the free \u2018Explore KZN South Coast\u2019 app or visit www.visitkznsouthcoast.co.za<\/a>. You can also follow the KZN South Coast on social media – \u2018South Coast Tourism\u2019 on Facebook and YouTube, or @infosouthcoast on Twitter and Instagram.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

South Africa has fast become an in-demand film location, but for production scouts seeking sites with expansive natural offerings, temperate climates and uninterrupted filming, the KZN South Coast is a prime location. \u00a0 \u201cThe KZN South Coast has attracted a number of local and international film makers over the years, and we truly believe it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7852,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2685,2518],"tags":[4635,5315,5367,5389,2639,5503],"class_list":["post-7853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-destinations","category-travel-advisory","tag-kzn","tag-kzn-south-coast","tag-olivia-jones-communications","tag-phelisa-mangcu","tag-south-coast","tag-south-coast-tourism"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7853\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}