Movie News

Behind the scenes of an American Reality Show

Filming of the popular reality show “90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days” in Split-Dalmatia County is over!

This Sunday, we escorted the crew to the airport after 20 days of intense filming of the reality series “90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days”. During this time, the production crew explored numerous locations throughout our county, revealing the richness and diversity of our region.

We can’t wait for the new season, which will bring beautiful shots of our county to small screens around the world. The viewership of this American reality reaches an incredible 80 million viewers per episode!

“90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days” follows couples who met through an online dating tool and now, after a virtual romance, meet in person for the first time. The series is a product of the production company Sharp Entertainment in cooperation with the production service Croatian Creative Films.

We extend our gratitude to everyone who participated in this exciting project!

Photo credit: Croatian Creative Films (Split/ April 16, 2024.)

Commercial “Studenac”

Trogir is a famous, picturesque destination. This small town near the city of Split begins to attract more attention in the filming industry. Recently, one of the biggest retail chains in the country, Studenac, selected Trogir waterfront as the setting for its latest advertisement.

The actors valued the filming process, alongside famous lead presenter Marijana Batinić. Curios passerby had a great scene to enjoy.

A mesmerizing combination of a beautiful day, dancing actors, and stunning scenery is best captured in photos taken during the filming.

Photo source: SDFU

Filming in Central Dalmatia

The popularity of Croatia as the most in-demand film location is growing, especially thanks to incentives in the form of a 25% refund of the total amount of eligible costs during production in the Republic of Croatia, and an additional 5% for production in areas of below-average development.

Therefore, it is not surprising that 2021 was one of the busiest years, with 20 international projects. The arrival of Game of Thrones is certainly the biggest event in the history of filming in Croatia. The hit series produced by HBO is one of the planet’s biggest and most popular series and it opened Croatia and its hidden beauties to tourists and film companies worldwide. Dubrovnik suddenly became known globally as the King’s Landing, while the streets of Split, the famous Diocletian’s Palace, and the beautiful Klis fortress became parts of the city of Meereen, which Daenerys Targaryen conquered together with her army and dragons.

The film industry got a boost in 2017 when the island of Vis “acted” parts of Greece in the movie “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” (2018). It is important to mention that just a few years earlier, the film “The Odyssey” (2016) about the most famous underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau, was filmed on Hvar and Pakleni Otoci, as well as on the islands of Vis and Biševo serving as a set for the southern part of France.

The uniqueness of Biševo and the famous Blue Cave are visible in the sequel of the movie “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” (2021). The beauty of the internationally less known (but no less wonderful) island of Šolta is evident in the sci-fi film “Bliss” (2021) produced by Amazon Studios. Most of this film was shot in Split.

Split waterfront, the viewpoint, and Meštrović Gallery are just some of the beautiful locations used for filming. One of the more prominent titles from the early 2000s filmed in Split is “Mathilde” (2004), directed by Nina Mimica and starring Jeremy Irons. The stone streets of Split, Trogir, and Dubrovnik represent parts of Jerusalem in the American series “Dig” (2015). The well-known BBC crime series “McMafia” (2018) was partly shot in Split, while German television production sets the set of its crime series “Split Homicide” (2016) – originally ” Der Kroatien Krimi” – entirely in Split. The potential of Split was also recognized by the romantic comedy “Ibiza” (2018) and the new film “The Weekend Away” (2022) produced by Netflix.

Croatia is a wonderful place with numerous filming options, phenomenal local filming crews, and many talented technicians. With the increasing popularity of Croatia as a filming location, the projects will certainly continue to grow.

Mamma Mia 2: Filming permits

Obtaining filming permits is never an easy task. Legislative procedure, government offices and understanding the nooks of law can be tricky. The process is complicated enough, but imagine doing it in a foreign country. This is where organizations such as Split-Dalmatia Film Office can be “the light at the end of a tunnel”. Find out what sort of procedures the Mamma Mia 2 film crew had to go through before obtaining a filming permit.

Croatia has truly become a filming destination. There are several mandatory procedures that all filmmakers must follow. To ease filming in Croatia follow our tips and let us guide you through the process.

If you are a foreign citizen and wish to film in Croatia, you can do so based on the issued residence and work permit or based on a work registration certificate.

Under the provisions of the Law on Audiovisual Activities NN 61/2018, all productions filmed in Croatia must report the recording to the Croatian Audiovisual Center no later than 8 (eight) days before the start of the recording of the audiovisual work, i.e. no later than 3 (three) days before the start of filming of a promotional video. Depending on the filming needs, the steps that need to be considered are location permits, permission to film with an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone), filming on the maritime property, previously mentioned work permits for foreign nationals, visas, and customs regulations, especially for the temporary import of professional equipment.

Following the requirements for filming on the islands, obtaining concession permits for filming on maritime property is especially important. The Regulation for the procedure of granting concession approval on maritime property (Official Gazette 36/2004, 63/2008, 133/2013, 63/2014) states the activities for which concession approval can be granted, the procedure for granting concession approval, and the amount of the fee for granting concession approval for, among others, filming on the maritime property. The request is submitted to the Council in charge of granting concession approval through the city/municipality.

Due to our expertise and experience in the procedures for filming in Dalmatia, we can navigate you through the process. Contact us, and we will make the process easier. We can facilitate in many different ways and be your intermediate for various activites.

Useful links:

• E-application for approval of aerial photography (link https://snimanje-iz-zraka.dgu.hr/)
• Regulation on the procedure for granting concession approval on maritime property and the request for approval https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2004_03_36_916.html
• Before the filming starts, the producer must submit it to the Croatian Audiovisual Center (HAVC) eight days before the start of the recording.
• Information on the residence and work permit, work registration certificate, and application form are available at https://mup.gov.hr/
• Find more detailed information about the visa system on the website https://mvep.gov.hr/informacije-za-gradjane-244593/konzularne-informacije-22730/vize-22733/pregled-viznog-sustava/22853
• Customs administration: https://carina.gov.hr/
• Entry of professional equipment into the customs territory of the Republic of Croatia based on the ATA carnet form issued by .https://www.hgk.hr/ata-karnet

Who is Lumiere from Split?

In 2021 the city of Split commemorated the 100th anniversary of the death of Josip Bepo Karaman (1864 – 1921). Karaman was a true cinematographic pioneer. Known as a great film enthusiast, he shaped the city cinematographic landscape by opening the 1st movie theater.

Shortly after acquiring his first projector, in 1907, he opened Grand Elektro Cinema, the very first cinema in the city of Split. The inaugural screening was held for about 500 spectators. The lack of radio, television, and permanent theater made the citizens hungry for cultural entertainment, thus providing great success for the cinema. The citizens excitedly embraced visiting the cinema as an innovative entertainment and cultural enrichment form.

Other than providing film screenings, in the 1910s, Karaman shot several documentaries about the city of Split. He made a well-known “Procession of St. Dujam” in 1911. In the same year, he filmed the “Funeral of Split Mayor Vick Mihaljević”, a movie of great cultural and ethnographic value. He is also famous for making several short films such as “Falcon Landing in Split” (1910), “Ceremony of Proclamation of Montenegro as Kingdom” (1910), and “Falcon Landing in Zagreb”. Unfortunately, the last one wasn’t preserved. His work is preserved to this day, and the movies are kept in the Croatian Cinematheque (HDA), while the projector is placed in the Museum of the City of Split.

Karaman ran the cinema (later named after him) until his passing in 1921 when his successors continued his legacy.

Karaman was a versatile man. In addition to running the cinema, he ran a paper shop in Pjaca (Narodni trg). He was known as a theater impresario; he organized the visits from Italian opera groups, and he was a co-founder of the city orchestra and organizer of the city lottery. Furthermore, he co-founded the newspaper “Novo Doba” in 1918.

The Karaman’s legacy was a shaping element for generations of citizens, yet, not much is known about him. His cinema is one of the oldest in Europe, and it represents an important cultural asset for the city of Split. The cinema continues to operate for 115 years. It is no wonder that many refer to Josip B. Karaman as our Lumiere!