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Amsterdam to get Film Coordinator

DutchAmsterdam.nl, 2010 — The City of Amsterdam appointed a film coordinator as the central go-to person for exemptions and permissions to film anywhere in town.

Amsterdam is the most popular film location in the Netherlands. The city is used as a backdrop in dozens of Dutch movies and TV series.

The city also figures in scenes of many foreign movies, of which Diamonds Are Forever and Oceans 12 are best known.

The cast of Van Der Valk describe what it was like filming Season 4 during the cold winter months in Amsterdam.

Technically, no permit is required for filming in the streets of Amsterdam. Anyone can freely photograph or film in public areas, as doing so is considered free news gathering.

However, the support facilities — especially for medium- to large scale filming operations — usually require cooperation or a permit from a neighborhood council, particularly if filming will hinder traffic or create a nuisance for local residents.

Amsterdam’s Center borough alone gives out more than 500 exemptions a year to movie crews. These exemptions cover anything from temporarily blocking parking spaces to altering the street-scape by placing decors or removing objects.

But film crews have complained about the amount of red tape — in particular the fact that exemptions and permits have to be requested from each invidual city borough in which filming is to take place.

Moreoever, the different boroughs each take a different approach to the permit process.

Amsterdam Film Protocol

In 2007 the City establish a Film Protocol, a first step toward streamlining the process of obtaining exemptions or permits to film. The appointment of a film coordinator is a logical next step.

After all, research has shown that Amsterdam has much to gain from a commitment to provide better service to the film industry, local daily Het Parool reports.

Alderman Carolien Gehrels mentions the marketing value of Amsterdam as a backdrop to movies seen throughout the country and the world

In additon Amsterdam benefits from the film industry’s contribution to turnover and employment opportunies.

“The economic values of Amsterdam’s film sector is, with a yearly turnover of about 170 million Euro and some 4700 jobs, substantial,” Gehrels says. — DutchAmsterdam.nl

See Also

• The Internet Movie Database has a list of movies and TV series filmed in Amsterdam
• Amsterdam film protocol

Anton and Janet Hein
Publisher at DutchAmsterdam | Website |  + posts

Anton and Janet Hein live and work in Amsterdam. We are the publishers of DutchAmsterdam.

Anton was born on a houseboat in the center of Amsterdam, right across from the iconic Westertoren and what later became the Anne Frank House museum. Having lived in nearly every district since then, he knows the city like his own back pocket.

Janet was born in England and raised in Ireland before moving to Amsterdam 42 years ago. Even to date she brings an expat’s perspective to the DutchAmsterdam website.

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