Establishment of the cinema in Malé
Hassan Afeef is one of the pioneers of Maldivian cinema. It was he and a group of friends who decided to produce the first local film in 1979 in Malé. The first film failed due to lack of funding, and it wasn't until 1982 that Thin Fiyavalhu saw the light of day. In 1994, the Gaumee Film Awards were created to reward films shot in the Maldives. The first of these to be crowned was Mohamed Niyaz's Dheriyaa (which won eight awards). But the most successful film was released in 1996, a horror film: Fathis Handhuvaru by Easa Shareef.
The 2000s under the sign of Bollywood
In the following decade, remakes and even copies of Bollywood films became the norm. The main Indian hits of the previous year were copied, unofficially, in the archipelago. Remakes included Hussain Adil's Hiyy Halaaku (1999), a remake of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) starring the famous Shah Rukh Khan or SRK, and Easa Shareef's Ginihila (2003), a remake of Vikram Bhatt's horror film Raaz (2002). This decade also saw the emergence of filmmakers Fathimath Nahula and Abdul Faththaah, who both directed the successful melodramas Naaummeedhu (2001), Kalaayaanulaa (2003), Zuleykha (2005), and Yoosuf (2008). Abdul Faththaah also directed the archipelago's first disaster film: Hureemey Inthizaarugaa, inspired by the effects of an earthquake one year earlier.
Development of original creations
Two emerging directors developed their own style in the late 2000s: far removed from melodramas and Bollywood knock-offs, they anchored themselves in a harsher reality and made committed films. Moomin Fuad and Ali Shifau directed Heylaa (2006) and Happy Birthday (2009) respectively, paving the way for a darker style of cinema that looks at society's shortcomings. Incest, rape and paedophilia are the subjects of films such as Veeraana and Heyonuvaane by Yoosuf Shafeeu or Niuma, the first film by director Niuma Mohamed - which confirms the predominant place of women filmmakers in national production. Moomin Fuad directed a fine criminal tragedy, Loodhifa, which was critically acclaimed but financially unsuccessful.
Acceleration of productions and flowering of new talents
Between 2010 and 2011, twenty-five films are produced. 2013 sees the first 3D production, a horror film: Fathis Handhuvaruge Feshun (2013) by Ali Shifau. Ravee Farooq's experimental thriller Ingili (2013) is the first film to introduce domestic cinema to foreign platforms. Two other films will enjoy success in the Indian Ocean: Ali Seezan's psychological thriller Insaana (2014) and Ravee Farooq's Vishka (2017). Ilyas Waheed, after the success of Bavathi (2019), directs Nina in 2020, a martial arts film. But the film is marred by a criminal case incriminating one of the actors.
The archipelago filmed from elsewhere
Like any tourist paradise, the Maldives attracts its share of foreign blockbusters, with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) topping the list. There's also Kon-tiki (2012), which tells the story of the Norwegian expedition aboard the ship of the same name, an adaptation of a Salman Rushdie book, Les Enfants de minuit (2012), and Fight Club - Members only (2006), the Bollywood adaptation of David Fincher's famous film. Documentaries: Un mur contre l'Océan tells the story of the wall being built to protect Malé from rising sea levels.
