Ghana’s film industry woes go beyond marketing – Selassie Ibrahim

Founder of the REFFA Awards, Selassie Ibrahim, has urged Ghanaians to change their attitude towards locally produced films.

She has therefore blamed negative perceptions and poor patronage for the challenges facing the country’s movie industry.

Speaking to Kwame Dadzie on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z, she said the problem goes beyond marketing. She rather argued that many Ghanaians dismiss local productions without even watching them.

She compared Ghana’s attitude towards local films with the support Nigerian audiences give their own productions, stressing that reviving the industry requires collective efforts from filmmakers and the public.

“It is not about failing to deploy the right tools to reach the Ghanaian consumer. My observation is that anything made in Ghana is often considered not good enough. People do not even take the time to watch and appreciate whether there has been improvement. They simply conclude that it is not good,” she said.

Drawing a comparison with Nigeria, where she said audiences readily support local productions, Selassie noted that Nigerians demonstrate a stronger commitment to their own content.

“I live in Nigeria and work there frequently. You will hardly find them turning away from their own content, even on DStv. They love their own and patronise it. No matter what, they want to support their own. But in Ghana, the opposite is often the case,” the filmmaker noted.

She urged Ghanaians to make a conscious effort to patronise local films, particularly those showing in cinemas, explaining that audience support is essential to sustaining film production.

“We are only pleading with Ghanaians to start watching our content. Go to the cinemas, watch our movies and encourage us to produce more. If I invest in a film and cannot recover even my initial investment, how do I go back on set to produce another one?”

Selassie explained that poor returns on film investments make it difficult for producers to raise funds for subsequent projects and deliver the quality of productions audiences expect.

“You cannot give people the kind of content they want when you have not been able to sell your previous production or even recover your capital. You end up producing with whatever resources you have available, just to keep going.”

She, however, insisted that Ghanaian filmmakers have the talent and storytelling ability to produce quality films if they receive the necessary financial and audience support.

“It is not that we cannot produce good content. Ghana has authentic stories to tell. We are intentional and detailed in our storytelling. But when you are not producing regularly, you become rusty. It is like acting, scriptwriting or driving; when you stop practising, you lose that sharpness.”

While appealing to the public for greater support, Selassie acknowledged that filmmakers must also improve their business practices and take responsibility for the industry’s growth.

“We also have a role to play. We must learn to put our books together and do things properly. It has to be a collective effort between filmmakers, investors and the Ghanaian public.”