Bete Giyorgis
The Church of Saint George, cut as a cross-shaped monolith into the rock and sunk below ground level. The single most recognisable image in Ethiopian heritage and the shot every commissioner will expect.
Filming location · Amhara
Filming in Lalibela
Lalibela is not a ruin. It is a working religious complex where the churches carved out of the rock eight hundred years ago still hold daily services, and where the priests who grant you access will be in your shot. Approach it as a heritage location and you will get a set of pretty exteriors. Approach it as a living community and you will get a film.
Short answer
Lalibela is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Amhara region, famous for eleven medieval churches carved downward out of solid rock, most associated with the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and still in active religious use. Filming requires heritage authority permission plus the consent of the church itself, and priests must approve any filming inside sanctuaries. Interiors are extremely low light and tripods and lighting are often restricted, so plan for fast glass and high-ISO capable cameras. Genna, Ethiopian Christmas on 7 January, brings tens of thousands of pilgrims and is the most extraordinary and most difficult time to shoot.
- Region
- Amhara
- Altitude
- approx. 2,500 m
- Nearest airport
- Lalibela Airport, domestic flights from Addis Ababa
- Best time
- October to March; Genna (Ethiopian Christmas) on 7 January for pilgrimage
- From Addis Ababa
- 1 hour by air, or roughly two days by road
What to film here
The northern and eastern church groups
Bete Medhane Alem, said to be the largest monolithic church in the world, plus Bete Maryam, Bete Amanuel and the connecting tunnels and trenches. Deep shade, hard contrast and beautiful bounce light in the trenches at the right hour.
Church interiors
Painted walls, hanging processional crosses, priests with ceremonial umbrellas and prayer sticks. Very low light, restricted lighting, and shoes off. Negotiate specifics with the church, not just with the heritage authority.
Genna, 7 January
Ethiopian Christmas draws enormous crowds of white-robed pilgrims. Visually unmatched, logistically brutal. Accommodation books out months ahead, positions must be agreed with the church in advance, and you will not move a tripod once the crowd arrives.
Asheton Maryam and the surrounding highlands
A monastery high above the town reached on foot or by mule, with escarpment views. Good for the journey sequence and for wide landscape material.
From our shoots
Nearby and related
Other Ethiopian locations
Start a production
Filming in Lalibela?
Send your dates and shot list. We will come back with the permit route, the access position, realistic travel times and an itemised cost — usually within a working day.