Actor and playwright, Fiifi Coleman
Popular actor and playwright, Fiifi Coleman, has pointed out some factors that have contributed to the decline of Ghana’s movie industry.
According to him, the adoption of foreign cultures, a lack of original storytelling, and the absence of effective distribution channels are factors that affected the industry.
Speaking in an interview on ‘Onua Showbiz’ with Naana Kwame Gyan on what caused a decline in the quality and quantity of Ghanaian movies, Coleman highlighted the influx of unqualified individuals into filmmaking, which played a role in the industry’s downfall.
“A time came when people realised that shooting movies was becoming profitable, so everybody became a cameraman, everybody became a soundman, and they kept doing that until they messed up the industry. There were so many round pegs in square holes,” he said.
He also criticised the industry’s tendency to mimic foreign cultures, which he believes diluted the authenticity of Ghanaian and African stories.
“The storytelling became copy-copy, with foreign cultures influencing us. The education we needed at the time was okay, but everybody came in and wanted to do something, which ultimately messed up the whole industry,” Coleman added.
Another major issue Coleman highlighted was the lack of reliable distribution platforms for movies after production.
This challenge, he said, discouraged many producers and industry players, leading to their eventual exit from the sector.
“After shooting a movie, figuring out where to distribute it became a challenge. This reluctance caused a vacuum, and eventually, everybody stopped,” he explained.
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