Film production in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is covered here with 1 location. Between the longest and shortest day, usable light swings by up to 0h 48min depending on where you shoot — planning across the country is not planning one single kind of day.
Shooting hours in Colombo across the year
Colombo is the location covered here for this country. The table gives sunrise, sunset, usable daylight and the start of the evening golden hour for every month — computed from the coordinates (6.9271, 79.8612) in the Asia/Colombo timezone.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | Golden hour (evening, from) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 06:28 | 18:13 | 11h 46min | 17:44 |
| February | 06:29 | 18:23 | 11h 54min | 17:54 |
| March | 06:18 | 18:23 | 12h 04min | 17:55 |
| April | 06:03 | 18:19 | 12h 16min | 17:52 |
| May | 05:55 | 18:21 | 12h 26min | 17:52 |
| June | 05:56 | 18:27 | 12h 31min | 17:57 |
| July | 06:02 | 18:32 | 12h 29min | 18:02 |
| August | 06:06 | 18:27 | 12h 21min | 17:58 |
| September | 06:02 | 18:12 | 12h 10min | 17:44 |
| October | 05:58 | 17:56 | 11h 59min | 17:29 |
| November | 06:02 | 17:50 | 11h 49min | 17:21 |
| December | 06:15 | 17:58 | 11h 43min | 17:28 |
What that means for planning
In Colombo, daylight swings by 0h 48min across the year. A schedule built around 12h 31min in June has only 11h 43min left in December — with the same setup count.
Concretely: in December, the sun in Colombo sets at 17:58, with golden hour starting as early as 17:28. 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 Sri Lanka are covered here?
1. Locations are included when there is an evidenced production landscape — not every town in the country.
Which location in Sri Lanka has the longest shooting days?
In June, Colombo with 12h 31min of daylight. In December that drops to 11h 43min.
When is the best time to shoot in Sri Lanka?
On daylight length alone, June. 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.