Filming in Kyrgyzstan: questions foreign crews ask

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.

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.

Transport, logistics, accommodation and catering are part of what we take on. They are planned together with the shooting schedule and fixed in the estimate before the work starts, so movement between locations is built into the plan rather than improvised on the day.

Through a clear payment and document flow fixed in the contract. The budget is agreed before the work begins, and the contract is drawn up in Russian and English. We will confirm the exact schedule of payments together with the estimate for your project.

A contract in two languages, an itemised estimate agreed before the work starts, every change documented, and one local partner who is accountable for coordinating the whole process.

Plans change on most productions. Changes are documented and reflected in the estimate and the production plan, so you always see what shifted, why, and what it costs — before it happens, not after.

Transparency: a clear estimate, budget agreed up front, changes documented. Local expertise: vetted contractors, knowledge of local logistics, production organised on the ground. An international working format: contract in Russian and English, experience with international clients. And accountability: one local partner responsible for coordinating the process.

Kyrgyzstan has seven regions with very different landscapes within one shooting period: alpine lakes such as Issyk-Kul and Son-Kul, red sandstone canyons, glaciers and peaks above 4,000 m, walnut and spruce forests, steppe, Silk Road monuments and Soviet-era towns. Our location base covers 70 locations across all seven regions, and we run custom location scouts for a specific script.

Yes. Camera, lenses, lighting, grip, power and sound equipment can be rented locally, so an international crew does not have to ship a full package to Kyrgyzstan. We assemble the equipment package for the project, from the camera to the sandbags.

Yes. Kyrgyzstan has a professional production environment with specialists from every department and working actors. We run casting for the project, help choose the cast and assemble a local crew, either for the whole production or only the departments you need.

Yes. Permits and work with local authorities are part of our production services, together with location access, transport and logistics. The set of permits depends on the locations, for example national parks or border zones near the Chinese border, and is built into the production schedule before the shoot.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The UK Foreign Office does not advise against travel to any part of Kyrgyzstan (update of 14 September 2026); it recommends caution near the border with Tajikistan in the Batken region. We plan routes, transport and local contacts for every shooting day.

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.

Send us the script or treatment, the looks you need, approximate dates and the size of the crew. We check it against the locations, the season, travel times from Bishkek and the crew and equipment available, and tell you plainly what works, what needs a workaround and what is better shot elsewhere.