Film production in Brazil

Brazil is covered here with 8 locations. Between the longest and shortest day, usable light swings by up to 3h 51min depending on where you shoot — planning across the country is not planning one single kind of day.

Locations at a glance

The table shows June and December daylight for each location — the two numbers a schedule hinges on across the year.

Daylight by location in Brazil (2026)
LocationDaylight JuneDaylight DecemberSpread
Porto Alegre10h 13min14h 04min3h 51min
Curitiba10h 34min13h 43min3h 09min
São Paulo10h 41min13h 34min2h 53min
Rio de Janeiro10h 44min13h 32min2h 48min
Belo Horizonte10h 56min13h 20min2h 24min
Brasília11h 12min13h 03min1h 51min
Salvador11h 22min12h 53min1h 31min
Recife11h 39min12h 35min0h 56min

What that means for planning

Porto Alegre has the widest swing at 3h 51min, Recife the narrowest at 0h 56min. The wider the spread, the more a schedule has to differ between summer and winter — same setup count, different hours to fit it in.

Concretely: in December, the sun in Porto Alegre sets at 19:23, with golden hour starting as early as 18:48. Put the exterior at the end of the day and you shoot it in the dark, or not at all.

TillyGen folds each location's sun position straight into the schedule. An exterior that no longer fits before sunset in December is flagged in the plan, not discovered on the day. The same calculation sits behind every location page for this country.

Permits and local requirements

Filming permits are granted locally almost everywhere, not nationally: the city or district you shoot in is the responsible body, and processing times differ considerably within the same country. Public space, traffic areas and drone flights each run through separate procedures.

File early enough that a refusal still leaves room for a cover location — not so late that the permit becomes the condition for the only possible shoot day. Only the responsible local authority gives binding information.

Frequently asked

How many locations in Brazil are covered here?

8. Locations are included when there is an evidenced production landscape — not every town in the country.

Which location in Brazil has the longest shooting days?

In June, Porto Alegre with 10h 13min of daylight. In December that drops to 14h 04min.

When is the best time to shoot in Brazil?

On daylight length alone, December. Whether that also means the steadiest weather depends on the location — the individual location pages carry rain days and sunshine hours per month.

Do I need a separate permit for every location?

As a rule yes, as soon as public ground is involved. Private locations run through the owner; traffic areas and drones add further procedures. The local authority is always the binding source.