LOCATION: ETHIOPIA
Filming in Ethiopia
Looking for an Ethiopian location fixer? Ethiopia locations provide diverse and contrasting options to production crews. Contrary to popular belief, Ethiopia is not ravaged by famine. Whilst there are certain areas of Ethiopia that are incredibly barren and get unbelievably hot – and famine is a regular problem – the bulk of the country is actually incredibly lush and mountainous.
Contact us for more information on Ethiopia as well as details on the required film visas and film permits.
Affordability
Ethiopia is very affordable – from hotels to restaurants, you can expect really good value. Once you move away from the urban into the rural, you will sometimes use very informal accommodation – and sometimes have to take a chef and catering supplies with you. We do this often, so have the network to facilitate this. Ironically this makes the trip more affordable.
Access
Getting to Ethiopia is easy – Ethiopia Airlines is a success story, and has established a vibrant hub at Bole Airport in Addis Ababa. This hub services most of Europe and the African continent.
Ethiopia also has a good, fairly affordable domestic flight operation, with most bigger towns accessible. And these bigger towns are sufficient to support crews in terms of accommodation and vehicles
There are vehicle hire and logistics companies which are not too cheap – and it is advisable to use a local driver anyway. We have built a network in Ethiopia which makes access to vehicles and drivers far more affordable – regardless of your needs (buses to 4×4 vehicles). Whilst the road infrastructure in Ethiopia is quite good, it is also mountainous and, together with the speed limits, mean that it takes a long time to travel between locations.
One important factor to bear in mind – logistically as well as budgetary – is that is it often compulsory to take local police with you on location – depending on where you are shooting. In the case of a region like Afar, you are required to have as many as 4 police with you. They do not cost a lot, but add to any accommodation and food bill.
Weather and Diversity
There is NOTHING average in Ethiopia – it is all vast – massive – and mind-blowing, making it a DOP’s dream. This is the land of the hottest place on earth, of active volcanoes, of the birth of coffee, the deepest lake – as well as the arid salt flats 130m below sea level, of churches carved out of rock, of diverse cultures and religions all living in harmony. And the ONLY country in Africa not colonised. Ethiopia is without question a stand-out destination and location in Africa.
Being close to the Equator, Ethiopia does not register massive temperature swings, although there are defined rainfall periods. It does differ vastly from a regional perspective, though, with altitude defining 3 climate zones :
The Tropical Zone (or Kolla) is under 1800 metres with minimal rainfall (around 50cm a year) and high temperatures – around 25-30 degrees Celcius. Part of this is the Danakil Depression in the Afar region, which is 130m below sea level, with temperatures soaring over 57 degrees at times – it is the hottest inhabited place on earth.
Sub-tropical Zone (or Woina dega) from 1800 metres to 2500 metres with lower temperatures (around 20-25 degrees0 and more rain (up to 1500mm)
Cool Zone (or Dega) is over 2500m, with lower temperatures (average 15-18 degrees, and around 1300mm rainfall.
Rainfall is generally in Summer (June to August).Spring is from March to May, Autumn from September to November, and Winter from December to February.
Why film in Ethiopia
Good Access
Very Affordable
Manageable Customs experience
Manageable Visa and Permit System
Diverse location options
Negotiable