All set for the much-awaited premiere of the award-winning comedy film The Fisherman in Ghana on Friday, September 19, at the Silverbird Cinemas.
Atta Oko is a retired traditional fisherman from Ghana. His life takes a whimsical turn when he is forced into retirement and partnered with a modern, bougie talking fish, leading him on an adventure to Accra.
Joined by his three quirky “Associates”, they pursue their dream of owning a boat, navigating the chaos of the modern world. Filled with laughter, magic, and the vibrant culture of Ghana, this is a delightful tale of friendship, dreams, and the enduring spirit of a true fisherman.
Speaking to the media after an exclusive viewing, the Director and writer, Zoey Martinson, said the story was motivated by a trip to a fishing community, Keta in the Volta Region of Ghana.
“My inspiration comes from the time I spent living in a rural fishing village in Ghana and the dreams I had for worlds beyond the ocean shores,” she said.
Again, she added that “every afternoon, as the town gathered to pull in the nets, my imagination ran wild with thoughts of the exciting treasures that might be revealed from the sea. However, during my time in Keta, I also witnessed the erosion of culture and the loss of land caused by global warming.”
“The rapid development taking place in the area had a profound impact on the fishermen and the entire community. As a genre writer, I wanted to utilise fantasy to shed light on the costs of development and globalisation of traditional life in Ghana. Tonally, I wanted to capture Ghana’s amazing sense of humour through a quirky fantasy,”Zoey Martinson further added.
According to Zoey Martinson, as a director and writer she always wants people to have their own experience to the movie and make their independent observation after watching.
She called on Ghanaians to be at the cinema to watch the movie and, by so doing, support the Ghana movie industry.
Recounting how the whole journey concluded, Zoey Martinson expressed appreciation to the crew and cast for a wonderful experience and support on set.
“I love my crew, they supported me so much, producers, crew were good, I had an incredible time,” she said.
In Zoey Martinson’s Venice Film Festival-winning comedy, ageing Ghanaian Atta Oko sets his sights on finally having his own boat and becoming the envy of his fishing village; he will just need some help from a talking fish first.
Filled with laughter, magic, and the vibrant culture of Ghana, The Fisherman is a delightful tale of family, dreams, and the enduring spirit of a true fisherman.
The movie feautred Ajeezay, Adwoa Akoto, Dorothy Konadu, Dulo Harris, Endurance Grand, Fred Amugi Roselyn Ngissah, Kiki-Romi, Mynna Otoo, Papa Osei, Princess Fathia Nkrumah, Ricky Adelayitar, and William Lamptey among others.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
