While YouTube continues to serve as a major platform for movie distribution and revenue in other countries, especially for Nollywood, many have been lamenting Ghana’s absence from the platform.
Popular Ghanaian actress and producer, Xandy Kamel, has blamed this underperformance not on the lack of creativity, but to greed and insufficient internal support.
In an interview with Graphic Showbiz, Xandy Kamel voiced her frustration over the challenges of producing films for YouTube in Ghana.
She lamented that many local actors and industry professionals demand exorbitant fees simply because a project is intended for the platform.
“Making movies for YouTube is really difficult in Ghana because even industry persons are not willing to support. If you approach someone to even join your cast, the amount they quote is so huge that you end up questioning how much you are even going to make after putting all the production costs into consideration,” she said.
The movie industry is not paying attention to YouTube, it remains untapped – James Gardiner
She recounted her experience with her recent film, Unseen Beauty, a YouTube production that featured Nigerian actors.
“My own people were not supportive… They said, ‘I’m not a YouTuber, but because of you, I’ll do a YouTube job. Just give me GH₵10,000 or GH₵12,000’ — and that was for five or seven scenes,” Xandy shared.
She explained that such demands left her no choice than to cast Nigerian actors, whom she found far more considerate.
This, she argues, highlights a critical disconnect: Ghanaian filmmakers are trying to break into digital spaces, yet internal friction and self-interests undermine progress.
“If our own people continue like this, how are we going to gain traction on YouTube when it’s now the main route our counterparts elsewhere are taking to grow their industry?” she asked.
According to Xandy, what Nollywood has been able to master is collaborations.
She believes that Ghana’s film industry must learn from this model.
“When our producers, directors, and other stakeholders come together… that’s when we’ll start to see real growth and recognition,” she added.
ID/AE
Meanwhile, watch the trailer to GhanaWeb’s upcoming documentary on teenage girls and how fish is stealing their futures below:
