Film fixer in Malawi — Filming permits and locations A lake the length of a country

I offer full fixer and production services in Malawi: small, green and dominated by its lake. It is a country of documentary, with health, farming, fishing and community stories told against mountains and water.

AccreditationMedia Council of Malawi
LocationsPermit per location
CustomsBonded agent advised
Pairs withZambia, Mozambique, Tanzania

At a glance — Malawi

The short answer

Filming in Malawi needs media accreditation for each crew member from the Media Council of Malawi, a filming permit for each location, and separate clearance for national parks and drones. Equipment clears best through a bonded agent.

Services: Full fixer and production service in Malawi: permits, locations, crew, transport, accommodation and logistics
Accreditation: Media Council of Malawi, for each crew member
Filming permit: A permit for each location, priced by length and crew size
National parks: Park fees and permission from the parks department
Customs: A bonded agent to clear kit in and out; the deposit route is slower
Drones: Department of Civil Aviation, with permission for each flight
Best months: May to October, the dry season

Last reviewed 8 October 2026. Field figures are indicative and confirmed at recce. Rules and lead times change, and I check them for every production.

Malawi

The country — The warm heart of Africa

Why crews film in Malawi

Lake Malawi runs down most of the country’s eastern side, more than 500 kilometres of clear fresh water with mountains behind it. Lake Malawi National Park, at its southern end, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its hundreds of species of brightly coloured cichlid fish, found nowhere else.

Inland there are tea estates and the granite massif of Mount Mulanje, the Zomba Plateau, the Nyika Plateau in the north, and Liwonde and Majete, where conservation has brought back elephant, rhino and lion. It is a densely farmed, community-centred country, which makes it a natural home for documentary.

Permission — Who signs

Filming permits in Malawi

Every crew member needs media accreditation from the Media Council of Malawi, applied for with a formal letter, passport copies and photographs, and an equipment list. A separate filming permit is needed for each location, priced by the length of the project and the size of the crew, and the process takes time, so it starts as soon as dates are firm.

National parks charge their own fees. Equipment is best cleared in and out through a bonded customs agent; the alternative, a deposit against the value of the kit, ties up money and time. Drones need permission from the Department of Civil Aviation for each flight, with strict distances from airports and airfields.

Locations — Where to point the camera

Filming locations in Malawi

The places briefs ask for, from the lake shore to the mountains.

Lake Malawi

Cape Maclear and the shore

Fishing villages, dugout canoes, clear water and the cichlids of the national park.

Liwonde

The Shire River

Elephant and hippo along the river, filmed from the bank or a boat.

Mount Mulanje

The granite massif

Sheer rock rising above tea estates, with trails to the plateau.

Zomba Plateau

Forest and waterfalls

Cool forest, viewpoints and the old colonial capital below.

Nyika

The high plateau

Rolling grassland, orchids in season, and roan and zebra.

Lilongwe and Blantyre

The cities

Markets, hospitals, schools and offices for documentary and NGO work.

From the region — Connections

Combining Malawi with a regional shoot

Malawi borders Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania, and its lake runs north towards the Great Rift Valley country of southern Tanzania. Productions often pair it with eastern Zambia, or with a Mozambique or Tanzania leg for a story that follows the lake or the rift.

From Zimbabwe the usual route is by air through Johannesburg or a regional hub, or by road through Mozambique’s Tete corridor. See filming in Zambia, filming in Tanzania and regional shoots.

Questions — Asked most often

What producers ask first

Short answers to the questions that arrive in nearly every brief. For anything specific to your production, ask me directly.

Do you offer fixer services in Malawi?

Yes. I offer the same fixer and production service in Malawi as in Zimbabwe: filming permits and accreditation, location scouting, local crew, transport, accommodation and on-the-ground logistics, for film, documentary, news and commercial crews. You can hire me for a shoot in Malawi alone, or as part of a route across several countries.

Do you need a permit to film in Malawi?

Yes. Each crew member needs media accreditation from the Media Council of Malawi, and a filming permit is needed for each location. National parks charge separately.

Can you fly a drone in Malawi?

Only with permission from the Department of Civil Aviation, granted per flight, and well away from airports and airfields.

How do you bring camera equipment into Malawi?

Through a bonded customs agent, who clears it in and out. The alternative is a deposit against the value of the kit, which is slower and ties up money.

When is the best time to film in Malawi?

May to October, the dry season, with clear skies and easier roads. The rains run roughly November to March.

Field notes — Plan the route

Pair it with

Distances in Zimbabwe are long, so the locations you put together matter as much as the ones you pick. These sit well alongside this one.

Next — Your project

Send the brief and the dates

Tell me what you want to shoot here and when. You will get a straight answer on the permissions, the timing and the cost before you book anything.

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