Sunrise Films operates in Malaga as a production services company for national and international projects. We coordinate local crew, equipment rental, permit processing and shoot logistics across the city and the wider Costa del Sol, so the creative team can focus on directing while we handle execution on the ground.
Production services in Malaga. Local crew, permits and shoot logistics across the Costa del Sol for productions of any scale.
Filming in Malaga combines a highly consistent natural light ratio, short operational distances between locations and a growing base of technical suppliers working to international standards. Administrative management, however, is not centralised: public-road filming permits are issued by the City Council through Malaga Film Office, access to the port and Muelle Uno requires Port Authority clearance, and certain heritage sites operate under their own management regime.
Malaga Film Office has run as a one-stop filming office since 2001 and charges no fee for processing a permit beyond the municipal public-space occupation tax. This efficiency places Malaga among the fastest cities in Spain to shoot in, though it still requires accurate knowledge of the real turnaround times for each type of setup. As a production services company in Malaga, we build that permit calendar into the project schedule from the development stage onward, not as an afterthought once dates are locked.
With more than 15 years providing production services in Spain to international production companies and streaming platforms — including Netflix, Apple TV and Paramount — Sunrise Films brings the judgement needed to run shoots in Malaga and across the wider Costa del Sol to the same standard as any major European production hub.
We supply the full technical package under a single contract: digital cameras and cine lenses, HMI and LED lighting systems calibrated for both interior work and direct Mediterranean coastal light, drones cleared for urban and coastal flight, generators, technical vehicles and grip equipment for units of any scale, including second units. One supplier, one invoice, one technical point of contact for the entire shoot.
Directors of photography, camera operators, sound engineers, gaffers, grips, script supervisors, production assistants and any other film industry professional based in Malaga, with proven experience on international productions. Their fees count as local spend for the purposes of the tax incentives applicable to audiovisual production in Spain.
We handle the full scouting and permit process in the historic centre, the Alcazaba and Gibralfaro, the port area, the Soho district, La Malagueta and towns across the province such as Marbella or Ronda, liaising directly with Malaga Film Office and each relevant authority, so the production never has to manage more than one point of contact.
Script breakdown, budgeting aligned to the Andalusian market, shooting schedule design and day-to-day oversight of every production department, with regular reporting to executive producers. We act as full local line producer for international productions filming in Malaga, not as a broker between separate suppliers.
A single point of contact with authorities, suppliers and location owners, alongside transport, accommodation and on-set coordination for the international crew, with fluent communication in English and Spanish at every stage of the project. The same team that manages permits and crew also handles the shoot’s day-to-day logistics.
An in-house casting base of actors, models and background artists, suited to both small-format productions and sequences requiring a high volume of background artists. We manage casting calls, selection, and wardrobe and transport logistics for the full background cast on shoot day.
The variety of landscapes across the province of Malaga significantly reduces the need for additional set construction. The Moorish layout of the historic centre, the urban coastline of La Malagueta, the natural setting of the Caminito del Rey, the white villages of the Serranía de Ronda and the contemporary skyline of the port all lie within an hour’s operational distance of one another.
The Moorish fortress of the Alcazaba, linked by a fortified wall to Gibralfaro Castle, overlooks central Malaga from an elevated position with views over the port and the Mediterranean. Its inner courtyards, horseshoe arches and gardens provide a compact historical setting, requiring very little art department intervention.
As a municipally owned site with public visiting hours, scheduling closed access windows is the determining factor for filming without disruption. We coordinate directly with the managing authority to secure the dates and time slots with the lowest visitor footfall.
The Soho district, with its collection of large-scale murals from the MAUS festival, offers a highly photogenic contemporary urban backdrop, while the Muelle Uno promenade combines modern port architecture, the silhouette of La Farola lighthouse and open sea views. It is a setting well suited to fashion advertising, brand content and productions seeking a Mediterranean backdrop with a current-day aesthetic.
The port area falls under the Port Authority, a separate body from the City Council, with its own authorisation procedure. We manage applications with both organisations and select the time slots with the least visitor and cruise-passenger traffic.
Throughout our history, Sunrise Films has been the local production partner in Spain for global brands, streaming platforms and international production companies, ensuring the efficient and professional execution of every project.
Our value goes far beyond making the technical resources needed for a shoot available. We bring local knowledge and the capacity to anticipate the factors that can affect a production schedule: the real timeframes for obtaining permits in high-footfall tourist areas, supplier availability during the busiest months, or the operational challenges of locations that, while spectacular on camera, can present significant limitations when working with large-format crews.
This experience has allowed us to coordinate advertising campaigns with fixed air dates, shoots affected by the Costa del Sol’s high seasonal visitor numbers, and productions dependent on very specific light windows in natural settings such as the Caminito del Rey. In every project, detailed, advance planning has been key to meeting the agreed deadlines.
We apply this same standard to every production, regardless of size — from small crews that need an agile local structure to large shooting units requiring coordination of traffic cuts, public-space occupation and more complex logistical planning.
Have a project underway? Tell us about it. Within 24 hours you will receive an initial assessment of locations, available crew and estimated costs for your production in Spain.
Filming in Malaga requires permits from the City Council, the scope of which depends on the type of location, crew size and technical requirements such as road closures, cranes or drones. Port areas fall under the Port Authority, and sites such as the Alcazaba or Gibralfaro Castle have their own authorisation procedure. We manage all applications within realistic timeframes and with a thorough understanding of each authority’s process.
Yes. The combination of Moorish-era architecture, Modernist buildings in the Ensanche district, narrow streets in the historic quarter and a highly recognisable Mediterranean coastline allows productions to be set in various parts of the Mediterranean or North Africa, offering a highly varied visual palette within a small area.
Standard permits from the City Council typically take between 10 and 20 working days to process. For iconic locations, beach settings or shoots requiring road closures, this can extend to 4-6 weeks. Understanding each authority’s procedure is essential to avoid putting the shooting schedule at risk.
Productions filmed in Andalusia can benefit from the national ICAA incentive, offering a tax deduction of up to 30% on the first million euros of the tax base and 25% on the remainder. Specific support schemes run by Andalusian bodies are also available for the audiovisual sector. We can advise you on which ones apply to your particular project.
Yes. Our entire production team is fluent in English and has experience liaising with production companies in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and France. We can act as your local point of contact from the initial development meeting through to the final production report.
