Renowned Ghanaian comedian and filmmaker, Kwaku Sintim Misa, popularly known as KSM, has offered his perspective on the current state of the Ghanaian film industry. He believes that while the country possesses the talent and resources, it lacks the necessary structure to truly flourish.
KSM observed that Ghana’s film industry has significant potential but is hampered by the absence of a clear blueprint for success. “In Ghana, our film industry is amazing. We have all the ingredients for a great film industry, but I don’t think we have the recipe right yet,” he stated.
KSM acknowledged that some Ghanaian producers have managed to find this “recipe,” but the majority are still struggling to gain a foothold. “We have some segments of Ghanaians who now have the recipe, but for the most part, that’s what we have struggled with in the industry,” he added.
He attributed this challenge to the industry’s developmental stage, contrasting it with Nigeria’s film industry, which has benefited from more years of exposure and experience, allowing for the refinement of production and distribution systems. “Unfortunately, it is still a growing industry. We can’t compare the film industry in Ghana to that of Nigeria. The Nigerians have had a longer time of being exposed to making films. And the more they make them, the more they get better. The more they produce, the more they devise ways of distributing them. Eventually, you realize you’ve developed a system that works for you,” KSM explained.
In contrast, Ghana, he said, has lacked a robust, long-term system, particularly in distribution. “Somebody will hustle to make money, then hustle to pay for the film. And after paying for the film, the actors, and everyone else involved, they now have to hustle again just to distribute the film. There are no proper distribution outlets,” he lamented.
KSM recalled a time when CDs and DVDs were the primary distribution channels in Ghana. He described how producers would burn their films onto these formats and then market them directly on the streets. “It got to a point where, when you made a film in Ghana, it went straight to CD. Even before DVDs, there were CDs. To sell the film, you had to mount a float and sell the CDs. This is not a distribution system. The recipe is not working,” he emphasized.
Despite these obstacles, KSM commended those filmmakers who have successfully screened their movies in cinemas. However, he noted that the absence of a well-developed distribution network means that even these films struggle to reach wider audiences across the country. ‘We have some great filmmakers in Ghana. Even now, I know great films. In places with a developed system, once a film is released in one cinema, it is simultaneously shown in others, Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Sunyani, reaching over 200 cinemas at the same time. But in Ghana, because we don’t have a well-developed system, a film may premiere at Silverbird in Accra, and then the producers have to manually arrange for showings in Kumasi. That kind of model doesn’t support industry growth,” he concluded.
