Ghanaian actress and media personality Xandy Kamel has taken to social.media to weep bitterly after discovering that her newly released film was broadcast on Fast TV without her permission, just two days after she uploaded it to her personal YouTube channel.
In a video she shared on social media, she was seen in tears as she recounted the painful moment she realized her hard work had been used without her consent or any form of compensation.
She revealed that she single-handedly financed the project, pouring in significant time, resources, and energy, only to be disrespected by the unauthorized airing.
Xandy Kamel, however, revealed that her legal team officially served notice to Fast TV, although she alleged that the CEO refused to accept the letter.
Also, the actress has since called on the Film Authority and other stakeholders to take stronger action to protect local filmmakers from what she describes as exploitation and disrespect.
The incident is the latest in a growing trend in Ghana, where local TV stations are accused of airing movies, especially newly released ones, without securing the rights to do so.
Over the past few months, this has become an alarming issue, with many stakeholders in the film industry calling for stricter enforcement of copyright laws.
Industry players concerned about copyright infringement have urged filmmakers to sue offending stations, but no significant court cases have materialized yet.
Notably, the problem isn’t limited to Ghanaian creatives. Nigerian film producers including Mercy Johnson and Ruth Kadiri have also voiced their anger in recent times, after discovering that some of their films had been illegally aired on Ghanaian TV channels. They, too, have condemned the practice and called out the stations involved.
