At the conference, Mookhesshwur Choonee stated that he is aware that more developments are required in various sectors of his ministry. He announced that he has made an appeal to the minister of Finance and Economic Development, Xavier-Luc Duval to consider his ministry for CSR funds. “These CSR funds will help boost cultural sector,” he said.
Speaking about the MFDC, he said that activities at the MFDC need to be ‘reignited’. “MFDC has made many achievements despite constraints. They have organised film festivals, retrospectives on renowned filmmakers and also workshops on script writing and acting, in collaboration with the Mahatma Gandhi Institute. However, there is a need to move to another level and produce feature films,” he said.
He stated that in order to reignite the MFDC, at the ministry level talks are ongoing to see the possibility to establish a Film Commission, which will act as a strong base to set up a film industry in Mauritius. This commission will work in collaboration with the MFDC. “I am confident that we can have our Mollywood,” he said. He added the ministry is negotiating with renowned studios to set up branches in Mauritius.