Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts, Ibrahim Waheed has announced that the government will begin issuing financial assistance to artists under a new support scheme.
The Minister made the announcement while speaking on the ‘Ahaa Forum’, a public engagement programme aimed at facilitating direct interaction between government officials and the public.
Speaking at the forum, Minister Waheed said as decided by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, the government will extend financial assistance to artists to support and promote their work. The government will begin issuing funds under the initiative starting next month, he said.
Describing the President’s decision as an important government policy, Minister Waheed said several efforts are ongoing to finalise the scheme’s implementation. While the necessary policies have already been developed, feedback and opinion from the artistic community were considered in formulating of these policies, he said. He further noted that the regulations required for the operation of the scheme are now being drafted.
The Minister expressed hope that the financial assistance will be given to eligible artists from next month. Professionals who require financial assistance can apply through a dedicated portal, he said.
"The Ministry has now decided to provide this assistance through a portal. It will take some time to build the portal, fix any bugs, and test it. If we do not run into these issues, we can provide the assistance as scheduled,” the Minister said.
Minister Waheed further said the production house, dedicated for artists, is already under construction. The facility is being developed by the Business Centre Corporation (BCC), and work is expected to reach completion and open for artists use within this year, he said.
During the forum, the Minister also announced the government’s plans to develop a modern, four-screen cinema complex in Hulhumale’. He revealed the information following a question from the public regarding the development of a modern cinema.
The Minister acknowledged the lack of a modern cinema in the Maldives and noted that this is a concern voiced by many. While the existing Olympus Theatre in Male’ was originally designed as a theatre, it still presents for screening movies, he said.
The Minister went on to state that he does not believe stopping the operation of Olympus and building a new cinema is the best way forward. He noted that a modern cinema must offer a wide array of services.
“A cinema is a venue of entertainment. A modern cinema should have at least four to six screens showing different movies, alongside entertainment features such as games and shopping. This should be our vision. Our vision must not be limited to just rebuilding Olympus. We have to build a good quality, modern cinema,” he said.
The Minister said foreign investors have expressed interest in such a project. He assured that the Ministry will work in close collaboration with the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to implement the project.
The Minister said a new cinema would address the issue of movie producers in the Maldives not being able to release their films due to lack of screening space.
"We will solve the issue of films being unable to screen due to a lack of screens. We will set up at least four screen cinema in Hulhumale’, which will allow four films to run simultaneously. I agree this is a concern of many producers, as well as movie-goers. We need a solution that is not Olympus, we have to tackle this with a fresh mindset,” he said.
Olympus, established in 1957, remains the largest cinema in the Maldives. However, it can only screen one film at a time. After being closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was reopened in 2023 with modern changes.