Filmmaker and Regal Film Festival and Awards (REFFA) founder Selassie Ibrahim says Ghana’s struggling film industry is being held back by negative public attitudes and low cinema attendance, rather than a failure to market local productions effectively.
Speaking to Kwame Dadzie on Joy FM’s weekend programme Showbiz A-Z, Ibrahim said many Ghanaians reject films made locally without giving them an opportunity to assess their quality. Her comments echoed previous appeals from industry colleagues for audiences to support Ghanaian films by attending cinema premieres.
“It is not about failing to deploy the right tools to reach the Ghanaian consumer,” Ibrahim said. “My observation is that anything made in Ghana is often considered not good enough.”
She added: “People do not even take the time to watch and appreciate whether there has been improvement. They simply conclude that it is not good.”
Ibrahim contrasted Ghana’s viewing habits with those in Nigeria, where she lives and works frequently. She said Nigerian audiences regularly support home-grown productions on television, DStv and at cinemas, helping to sustain Nollywood’s high-budget film releases.
By comparison, she said, Ghanaian viewers often avoid locally produced titles, making it difficult for filmmakers to generate the income required to continue working.
“We are only pleading with Ghanaians to start watching our content. Go to the cinemas, watch our movies and encourage us to produce more,” she said.
“If I invest in a film and cannot recover even my initial investment, how do I go back on set to produce another one?”
The filmmaker said the inability to recover production costs had a direct effect on the scale and quality of future projects. Directors and producers are forced to operate with smaller budgets, while writers, directors and actors lose opportunities to work regularly and develop their craft.
Her comments come amid recent accounts of financial difficulties affecting Ghanaian acting, with the industry facing wider commercial pressure.
Ibrahim maintained that Ghana has talented and purposeful storytellers, as well as authentic stories capable of attracting audiences. However, she also acknowledged that producers needed to improve their financial management and business practices.
She said stronger backing from investors and audiences was necessary alongside those changes, adding to calls within the industry for greater support and better welfare structures for local creatives.
