Media in Mauritius

With branches in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban; the decision to extend the Media Film Service brand to Mauritius was based on a desire to look “outside of the box” and find new and exciting markets.

So says Richard Sysum, who is running the Mauritius office together with his wife Kate. “In our research we found that there is an existing film and television industry in Mauritius. The island is regularly visited by both Bollywood  and South African producers. A lot of good work is being done, but with antiquated equipment or gear which has been freighted in at huge cost. For Phase 1 of our operation we have gone in with a lot of lighting and grips equipment. This includes a new 8 ton 100KVA generator truck with load space. We have 18k and 6k HMIs,  accessories, a 7m ride-on-crane and a pretty substantial grips kit.

“The stills industry in Mauritius has great potential. The splendid and untouched locations and good light attract photographers from around the world, however, it is very costly to film  in Mauritius because of the lack of film-industry infrastructure. Through our phased entry into this market we will address many of these challenges.

Sysum was selected to run the Mauritian operation after proving his considerable mettle opening the Durban branch in 2001. This was the first Media Film Service outlet to offer lighting equipment, as well as camera and grips gear. The Durban branch grew from a small, one-man operation to a facility capable of handling international feature films.

The Media Film Service office is situated in Port Louis, a location that is central for shoots happening both in the north and south of Mauritius. Sysum makes the point that Mauritius is serviced by regular flights from Europe, Australia and South Africa, which makes it easily accessible to overseas filmmakers. “I believe that with the world class equipment and service which we aim to offer, there will be a growing influx of foreign productions.”