FILM IN KYRGYZSTAN / Production Guide

Film in Kyrgyzstan · our mission

Film production services in Kyrgyzstan We are opening Kyrgyzstan to international film production.

We help crews from any country shoot here: we set up the people, gear, locations and paperwork, so that filming in Kyrgyzstan is simple and predictable. Within a few years, we want it to be as natural a choice for world cinema as Iceland, Georgia or Morocco.

So, you’ve decided to shoot in Kyrgyzstan

02Scene 2 · The placeFilming locations in Kyrgyzstan · 7 regions

One shooting period, dozens of visual worlds.

Glaciers and juniper forest of Ala-Archa gorge 30-40 km from Bishkek. The red Konorchek canyons 125 km away. Son-Kul lake at 3,000 m with herders’ yurts. The medieval caravanserai of Tash-Rabat. 70 locations across seven regions.

●Click a region to open its gallery

Finding a beautiful spot is easy. Knowing that Konorchek is reached on foot along a dry riverbed, or that Son-Kul is only open for shooting from June to September, is the hard part. We build the schedule around it in advance, not on the day.

Didn’t find it?

This is only part of what is here. We scout for your script and send photos and video from the locations.

Order a location scout→

On screen, Kyrgyzstan can play

The Swiss Alps→ Ala-Archa Gorge

Iceland and the Nordic highlands→ Son-Kul Lake

Tibet and the Himalaya→ Alay Valley

The Mongolian steppe→ Suusamyr Valley

Patagonia→ Karavshin Gorge

The American Southwest and Cappadocia→ Konorchek Canyons

What can Kyrgyzstan double for on screen?→

Read on this topic

Find the lookWhere can you film a Tibet or Himalaya look?Why Tibet itself is rarely an option and where to film its look instead.Read→Choose the countryFilming in Central Asia: which country for which shot?Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan: which country for which shot.Read→Find the lookWhere to film the Silk Road in KyrgyzstanThe Tash-Rabat caravanserai, the Burana minaret, petroglyphs and UNESCO-listed Silk Road sites.Read→

And all of this costs less than you might think

03Scene 3 · The budgetCost of filming in Kyrgyzstan

A budget that goes into the frame.

Kyrgyzstan · one shooting day

$2 600

Local crew of 13 $1 500Equipment $1 100

A 12-hour day: a local crew of 13 that we put together for your project, plus a standard ARRI Alexa Mini LF camera, lighting, grip and sound package.

Local crew of 13

Director
Director of photography
First assistant director
Gaffer
2 lighting technicians
Key grip / camera technician
Focus puller
Sound recordist
Line producer
Unit manager
Location manager
Craft service

Standard equipment package

Camera ARRI Alexa Mini LF or equivalent
Lenses set of 6 cinema primes
Light 2 × 1.8 kW HMI + 4-6 large LED panels
Grip dolly with 6 m of track + grip kit
Sound recorder, 2 boom mics, 4 lavaliers

Savings calculator

Instead of for 10 shooting days

There—

In Kyrgyzstan—

Stays in your budget—

The same day in other countries
Country	Day	vs Kyrgyzstan	Saved over 10 days
USA	$31 700	×12.1	$290 200
United Kingdom	$18 300	×7.0	$157 600
France	$14 800	×5.7	$122 200
Iceland	$11 900	×4.6	$92 600
Germany	$10 900	×4.2	$82 800
Turkey	$10 000	×3.8	$73 600
Spain	$8 000	×3.0	$53 100
Russia	$7 500	×2.9	$49 100
Kyrgyzstan	$2 600	×1.0	base

All 18 countries, methodology and sources→

* Indicative, October 2026. Crew rates per 12-hour day without employer taxes, equipment at capital-city rental prices, converted to US dollars and rounded. Sources: union rate cards, production service guides, rental price lists. Flights and accommodation of a visiting crew are not included.

The saving doesn’t leak away on the ground. We know the real day rates and rental prices, so the estimate is itemised and the budget is agreed before work begins.

Compare country by country

Iceland · ×4.6Iceland or Kyrgyzstan: where is it cheaper to film glaciers, highland lakes and waterfalls?Shooting day $11,900 vs $2,600→Switzerland · ×6.5Switzerland or Kyrgyzstan: where can you film an Alpine look for less?Shooting day $17,000 vs $2,600→Norway · ×3.9Norway or Kyrgyzstan: which is better for mountain plateaus, glaciers and deep lakes?Shooting day $10,200 vs $2,600→Turkey · ×3.8Turkey or Kyrgyzstan: where is it cheaper to film canyons, steppe and the Silk Road?Shooting day $10,000 vs $2,600→Patagonia · ×2.1Patagonia or Kyrgyzstan: where to film granite walls, glacier lakes and empty steppe?Shooting day $5,400 vs $2,600→Canada · ×4.1Canada or Kyrgyzstan: where to film turquoise lakes, glaciers and spruce forests?Shooting day $10,600 vs $2,600→

All country comparisons→

Production costs in Kyrgyzstan→

Who will be on set, and with what gear?

04Scene 4 · People and gearLocal crew, casting, equipment rental

Everything a shoot needs is already in Kyrgyzstan. We know where.

People: local crew and casting

A local film crew for your project, from single departments to a full unit, and casting of actors, from leads to crowd-scene performers. We work in English and Russian and know who fits your format and budget.

01 / 40

Examples of working actors in Kyrgyzstan, available for filming Crew, casting and equipment in Kyrgyzstan→ Partner crew database + casting catalogue↗

Gear: camera and lighting rental in Bishkek

Everything is here, from the camera to the sandbags.

ARRI Alexa cameras, cinema lenses, lighting, grip and sound from Bishkek rental houses, so you don’t have to ship a full kit. Kyrgyzstan is not in the ATA Carnet system, which makes renting here simpler than bringing your own. We check availability for your dates and lock the package in the estimate.

Camera Lenses Light Grip Power Sound

Need more choice? Equipment catalogue↗

And what about paperwork and the road?

05Scene 5 · Paperwork and the roadVisas, equipment import, drones, logistics

The part producers dread most. We take it off your hands.

01 · Visas

Visa-free for most Western crews

30 days in every 60 without a visa for citizens of the EU, the UK, the USA, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland; India and China need a visa. We check the rules for every passport on the crew.

02 · Equipment import

No ATA Carnet, no problem

Kyrgyzstan is not in the ATA Carnet system. If you bring kit, we prepare the temporary import documents; most crews rent the package in Bishkek.

03 · Drones

Registered before you land

Every camera drone is registered with the civil aviation agency, which takes up to 10 working days, so we start before you arrive.

Drone rules 2026→

04 · Filming permits

Built into the plan

We arrange the filming permits your locations need and build them into the production plan, so they are ready before the shoot.

The road: transport, accommodation, catering

Everything is in one country, and the drive time to each of the 70 locations is known in advance. Transport, including 4x4 vehicles for mountain roads, accommodation and catering are built into the schedule and the estimate, not solved on the day.

Drive times from Bishkek to 70 locations→

CateringTransportCrew accommodationAnimalsStunt performersMedical supportCateringTransportCrew accommodationAnimalsStunt performersMedical supportCateringTransportCrew accommodationAnimalsStunt performersMedical support

SecurityPermitsLocal contractorsPropsCostumesSetsSecurityPermitsLocal contractorsPropsCostumesSetsSecurityPermitsLocal contractorsPropsCostumesSets

Don’t want to figure it all out yourself?

↓

WE’LL
TAKE IT ON.

You can shoot in a new country on your own. But it means dozens of contractors, negotiations in another language, approvals, estimates and logistics, all before the crew even lands. We do it for you: one partner instead of thirty contacts, responsible for making it all work.

Discuss your project→

07How we workFormats

As much help as you need.

Commercials, music videos, documentaries and travel shows, series and feature films.

Turnkey

You bring the idea and your key people; we organise everything else: crew, cast, gear, locations, paperwork and logistics.

Your crew, our ground

You fly in with your unit; we provide everything on the ground: gear, transport, locations, permits and local specialists.

Single tasks

Only need scouting, casting, gear or paperwork? We take one task and do it well.

Night street shoot in Kyrgyzstan: HMI lights rigged in a lift basket

On set / Kyrgyzstan

Dolly shot on track with a butterfly frame on an outdoor set

Period scene shot in the mountains: actors on horseback in Kyrgyz costume, boom mic overhead

Clapperboard before a take in a scene with a horse

Who we are

Film in Kyrgyzstan is a Bishkek-based production services company that organises film, TV, documentary and commercial shoots in Kyrgyzstan end to end, acting as your fixer and line producer on the ground. We hire the local crew, cast actors and extras, rent camera and lighting packages, scout locations, handle visas, equipment import, drone registration and filming permits, and run the logistics; a shooting day with a local crew of 13 and an ARRI Alexa Mini LF package costs about $2,600 (October 2026).

We don’t bring the same team to every project: for each one we assemble the people who fit it. We work in English and Russian, with crews from any country.

You take care of the film. We take care of everything else.

→Your ideas and deadlines, under control

Brief

Script, references, dates, scale.

Estimate and plan

Itemised estimate, locations, crew, schedule. You approve.

Preparation

Casting, gear, paperwork, logistics. You see every step.

Shoot

Everything we set up works to plan.

Budget before work begins

Nothing is added without your approval.

Contract in English and Russian

Clear payments and documents.

Changes on paper

If the plan shifts, you see what, why and what it costs before it happens.

We take on only what you need Choose a format→

08Already filmed in Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan is already on screen.

Netflix series, BBC and ITV travel documentaries, Indian and Russian features, music videos, and Kyrgyz films from Cannes, Locarno and Venice.

20international productions

15countries

7regions of Kyrgyzstan on screen

2025 · Series

Off Road

Israel / USA (Netflix)

Bishkek, Issyk-Kul, Karakol, high valleys; also Kazakhstan

2026 · Documentary

Beyond the Silk Road

UK (Blink Films)

Tash-Rabat caravanserai, Bishkek, a horseback crossing in the western highlands

2022 · Series

Human Playground

Netherlands / UK (Netflix)

Kyrgyzstan segment on salbuurun hunting and eagle hunters (episode 2)

2020 · Feature film

Torbaaz

India

Bishkek and surroundings; song sequences at Issyk-Kul

2026 · Feature film

Спасти бессмертного (Save the Immortal)

Russia / Belarus

Talas region, mountain passes, about 1,000 km of route

2018 · Series

Joanna Lumley's Silk Road Adventure, episode 4

UK (ITV)

Tian Shan eagle hunters, Tash-Rabat

2008 · Feature film

Tengri, le bleu du ciel (Tengri: Blue Heavens)

France / Germany

Kyrgyz mountains

2025 · Feature film

Кара, Кызыл, Сары (Black Red Yellow)

Kyrgyzstan

Batken region

Each of these productions went down a road we now know by heart: routes, seasons, paperwork. Yours could be next.

All productions: year, locations, sources→

09Frequently asked questions

About $2 600 in Kyrgyzstan for a 12-hour day with a local crew of 13 and a standard ARRI Alexa Mini LF camera package: roughly $1 500 for the crew and $1 100 for the equipment. A comparable day costs about $8 000 in Spain, $10 900 in Germany, $14 800 in France, $18 300 in the UK and $31 700 in the USA (indicative, October 2026). The final figure depends on the scale of the project, the size of the crew, locations and equipment. We put together an itemised estimate for your brief.

Of course. We don’t have to do everything. You can come with your own crew, and we step in where a local partner is needed: location scouting, casting, equipment, transport, permits, a local production crew — or the entire production.

Yes. We organise everything on the ground, from crew, cast and equipment to locations, paperwork and logistics, while you approve each stage remotely: brief, estimate, locations, casting and shooting plan. We send recce photos and video from the locations and stay in contact from the set.

Citizens of the EU, the UK, the USA, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland enter visa-free for 30 days in every 60-day period (Cabinet Resolution No. 855 of 31 December 2025); citizens of Turkey for 90 days in 180 and of the UAE for 180 days in 360. Citizens of India and China need a visa. We check the rules for every crew member's passport before travel.

Yes, under the 2026 aviation rules. Every drone with a camera is registered with the State Civil Aviation Agency (up to 10 working days, so foreign crews start before arrival), and the pilot needs an operator certificate. Remote flights away from people need no permit; flights near settlements are notified at least 2 hours ahead, and restricted zones, airports, protected sites and crowds need a permit. We prepare the registration and permits for the project.

June to September for high mountains: Son-Kul and the high passes are open roughly from June to September, and the lake is frozen and the road closed the rest of the year. Issyk-Kul rarely freezes, so its shore works in winter too, and the gorges near Bishkek can be shot most of the year, including snow scenes in winter.

No: Kyrgyzstan is not part of the ATA Carnet system, so a full camera package needs a separate temporary import procedure through customs. Most crews rent the camera, lenses, lighting and grip in Bishkek and bring only personal kit; we prepare the import paperwork when specific equipment has to come from abroad.

We read your brief and ask the questions that shape the budget and schedule: dates, locations, crew size and what you bring yourself. Then we propose a format of work, from a full production service or line production to support for your own crew, and prepare an estimate and a production plan for your approval. Work starts once the estimate and terms are agreed in writing.

All 19 questions→ Still have questions? Tell us about your project→

10Tell us about your projectBishkek, KG

You don’t need a finished estimate or a final script. It’s enough to tell us what you want to shoot, when and where you plan to shoot it, the scale of the project and what you already have. We’ll get back to you and propose the next step.

Write in English or Russian. The moodboard and the calculator above add their results to the request automatically.

Write: theproduction.kg@gmail.com
Telegram / WhatsApp: +996 709 905 000 · WhatsApp
Address: Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic