Film production in Funchal
Between June and December, usable daylight in Funchal moves by 4h 16min — from 14h 17min down to 10h 01min. An exterior day in December is a different day from one in June. This page carries sunrise, sunset and golden-hour times for all twelve months, the climate profile.
Light and shooting hours
On 15 June, the sun in Funchal rises at 07:00 and sets at 21:18; the evening golden hour starts at 20:41 and runs for 36 minutes. By December that shifts to 08:03–18:04, with a 37-minute golden-hour window from 17:27.
For scheduling, that means the window for the one shot that lives on light runs between 32 and 37 minutes across the year. Put it last in the day and the first overrun takes it.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | Golden hour (evening, from) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 08:11 | 18:25 | 10h 14min | 17:48 |
| February | 07:52 | 18:54 | 11h 02min | 18:20 |
| March | 07:19 | 19:16 | 11h 57min | 18:43 |
| April | 07:39 | 20:38 | 12h 59min | 20:05 |
| May | 07:10 | 21:00 | 13h 50min | 20:25 |
| June | 07:00 | 21:18 | 14h 17min | 20:41 |
| July | 07:11 | 21:17 | 14h 06min | 20:42 |
| August | 07:32 | 20:54 | 13h 22min | 20:21 |
| September | 07:52 | 20:16 | 12h 24min | 19:43 |
| October | 08:12 | 19:36 | 11h 24min | 19:03 |
| November | 07:38 | 18:08 | 10h 30min | 17:32 |
| December | 08:03 | 18:04 | 10h 01min | 17:27 |
Blue hour and shooting windows
Blue hour in Funchal starts at 21:35 in June and ends at 21:46 — a window of 11 minutes. In December it is 10 minutes from 18:21. If you need a city view with lit windows, that window is all you get.
Sunset moves fastest around the equinoxes: between March (19:16) and September (20:16) there are 60 minutes of difference. A schedule running over several weeks cannot work from one fixed "sunset" time.
Weather and washout risk
Funchal averages 13 rain days in October and 3 in July. A three-day exterior shoot in October statistically loses 1.3 days — not a forecast, but the basis for deciding whether a cover set belongs in the budget.
| Month | Mean temperature | Rain days | Sunshine hours/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14.0 °C | 9 | 8.3 |
| February | 13.7 °C | 8 | 9.3 |
| March | 14.1 °C | 11 | 10.3 |
| April | 15.0 °C | 11 | 11.1 |
| May | 16.6 °C | 7 | 12.2 |
| June | 18.4 °C | 8 | 12.8 |
| July | 20.3 °C | 3 | 12.9 |
| August | 21.6 °C | 3 | 12.2 |
| September | 20.2 °C | 10 | 11.1 |
| October | 19.2 °C | 13 | 9.6 |
| November | 16.6 °C | 11 | 8.9 |
| December | 15.2 °C | 11 | 8.2 |
Planning a shoot here
A schedule that ignores these numbers looks fine on paper and falls over on the day. TillyGen folds sun position, travel and crew availability straight into the schedule — if the exterior no longer fits before sunset in December, the plan says so, not the wrap report.
Frequently asked
When is golden hour in Funchal?
In June it starts at 20:41 and lasts 36 minutes; in December it starts at 17:27 and lasts 37 minutes. The table above lists all twelve months.
How much daylight does a shoot day in Funchal get?
Between 10h 01min in December and 14h 17min in June. The 4h 16min difference is worth four to eight setups depending on your pace.
Which month is best for exteriors in Funchal?
Combining daylight and rain days, July comes out ahead: plenty of usable light with comparatively few rain days. June has the longest days but not necessarily the steadiest weather.