‘Serenity’, an American thriller which was entirely filmed in Mauritius, premiered in New York on 24th January 2019. It is the first major Hollywood feature to shoot in Mauritius.

The USD 25 million mystery-thriller was written, produced and directed by Steven Knight and stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Diane Lane, Jason Clarke, Djimon Hounsou, and Jeremy Strong.

Besides the attractiveness of shooting in the local paradise setting, the choice of Mauritius was also influenced by the strong support given by the Mauritius government to encourage the development of the island’s film industry. ‘Serenity’ also took advantage of the ‘Film Rebate Scheme (FRS)’ incentive.

The FRS entitles production companies incorporated or registered locally, including those with 100% foreign ownership, to benefit from a cash non-taxable rebate of 30% on the QPEs incurred in Mauritius provided that they have spent the minimum Qualifying Production Expenditure (QPE). The 30% reimbursement can be increased to up to 40% for Feature Films and Television Drama Series provided that their QPE exceeds USD 1,000,000 per film and USD 150,000 per episode respectively and also that they bring significant economic benefits.

For any additional information on the FRS, please liaise with your usual contact person at ITL or email us on info@intercontinentaltrust.com.