Award-winning Ghanaian filmmaker Leila Djansi has called on local creators to rethink their approach to filmmaking, emphasizing that it is first and foremost a business.
Djansi criticized the current system in Ghana, where filmmakers are forced to play both creator and distributor, which she described as unsustainable. “In Ghana, filmmakers are forced to play both creator and distributor.
That’s unsustainable. Your job is to make the film. Get someone else to sell it. Collaborate. Build distribution networks across West Africa, into the diaspora, and then let streamers become an option, not a lifeline,” she said in a post sighted by MyNewsGh.
She urged filmmakers to engage professional distributors and plan their projects from the script stage with a strategic marketing and distribution roadmap.
“From script stage, you must think about your marketing and distribution strategy: Cinema → TV → SVOD → AVOD/FAST. That waterfall ensures your film earns over years, not just once,” Djansi explained.
Beyond distribution, Djansi stressed the importance of storytelling that resonates with audiences. She criticized repetitive or uninspiring narratives;
“While people are telling stories about planting potatoes in space, y’all are still telling us how Ama cannot find love and then she met Kofi. Remember, your audience has options. The world has become so small.”
Djansi also highlighted that reliance on government funding is not a solution, given the country’s pressing health and infrastructure needs.
“Stop begging the government for money when maternity wards and stroke units across the country can’t even boast of a single patient monitor,” she said.
