The four-day event, themed ‘East meets West’ starts today, 5 October with the opening ceremony and networking cocktail event taking place at the Château de Labourdonnais. Nandocoomar Bodha, Minister of Public Infrastructure and Land Transport, and coordinator of the 50th Anniversary celebrations will deliver the opening address on the night.
The event is expected to attract film directors, actors and celebrities from India, South Africa, France, the UK and the USA. They have been invited to share their knowledge of and experience in the film industry, in an effort to energise and boost the nascent film industry in Mauritius. They will also participate in a series of workshops, master classes, panel discussions and networking events.
Mauritius Cinema Week will showcase a number of international films whose themes focus on the freedom and independence of individuals, a people or a country. Free screenings of these films at various cinemas include: Twelve Years a Slave; A United Kingdom; Amistad; Cry Freedom; Ghandi; Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom; Queen of Katwe; Black; Chef; Baahubali: The Beginning and Baahubali: The Conclusion; Lonbraz Kann; Xuan Zang; Jack Strong; Viceroy’s House; Loving; The Zookeeper’s Wife; Les Yeux Jaunes des Crocodiles and Un Coeur en Hiver.
A key economic driver in hosting the event is to promote the film industry through the Film Rebate Scheme (FRS). Ken Poonoosamy, managing director of the Board of Investment (BOI) in Mauritius, explained how the event is an opportunity to create a single platform where international actors, producers and film directors can engage with the local film sector to evaluate and debate issues around the competitiveness of the FRS. This, in an effort to promote the island as an attractive and affordable film location destination.
• Promote business partnerships and the development of the local film industry;
• Create a forum to encourage discussion between local and international film producers;
• Stimulate, popularise and place the spotlight on the island’s nascent film industry; and
• Promote and market the incentives under the Film Rebate Scheme, while positioning Mauritius as an attractive shooting location in the region.
Since 2013, the BOI has approved a total of 83 film projects, of which 56 have been produced and completed under the FRS. These include a variety of production genres, ranging from feature films, TV commercials and reality TV programmes to documentaries and television series. Productions from India represent 43% of the current Mauritian film market, with South Africa at 10% and China on 7%, while the UK stands at 5%, the USA on 2% and France on 1%.
The most recent film to be shot on location in Mauritius is the upcoming mystery tale, Serenity, written and directed by Steven Knight (Locke, Redemption) and starring Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway. McConaughey plays a fishing boat captain whose past is about to crash up against his life on a small island in the tropics, and ensnare him in a new reality.
The increasing number of big Hollywood and Bollywood names gracing the island as their film location of choice holds much promise for the local industry going forward, positioning it as a potentially new driver to stimulate investment, create jobs and grow the economy.
In this regard, Poonoosamy has announced that the BOI has been contacted for the partial shooting of a James Bond film in Mauritius.
The BOI is spearheading the organisation and management of the Mauritius Cinema Week, with the support of several major stakeholders and sponsors, including the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Agency (MTPA), Air Mauritius and the Mauritius Film Development Corporation (MFDC).
