Cape Town's multibillion-rand film industry "could shut down" if draconian bylaws limiting the industry from succeeding are not amended. The city's mayoral committee member for tourism, events and economic development, Garreth Bloor, said the growth in the South African film industry had led to the city "relooking at the way it regulates filming".In the past two years, this has led to both the filming industry and the city discussing changes to the "overly restrictive conditions". And last week the city approved changes that will now undergo a public participation process.Rudi Riek, a representative of the Commercial Producers Association and the South African Association of Stills Producers, said the current laws were "a nightmare".He said: "The fact that the [city's] planning department suggested a timeframe of up to 150 days to obtain permission for occasional use would in essence shut down our multibillion-rand industry."One severe regulation stipulates that "no more than 15 people shall be engaged in the filming activity". Another dictates that filming is only allowed between 7am and 8pm on weekdays and between 8am and 1pm on weekends. These are expected to change.Riek said that the amendments were a step in the right direction.Despite these regulations, Cape Town is still a preferred filming destination, raking in aboutR5-billion for the local economy yearly. Last year alone 437 permits were granted for feature films and 553 for television series...