By Savannah Pokuaah Duah
British-Ghanaian actress and presenter Ama K. Abebrese passionately addressed the pressing need for a viable film industry in Ghana during a recent interview on GTV’s breakfast show.
Speaking on June 11, 2025, she highlighted the challenges faced by local filmmakers and emphasized the urgent need for structural changes to elevate the industry.
Miss Ama Abebrese’s insights shed light on the obstacles that hinder growth and innovation within Ghana’s film sector, calling for collaborative efforts to build a sustainable future for local cinema.
She underscored the importance of investment, training, and support systems to nurture talent and create opportunities for both emerging and established filmmakers.
Miss Abebrese began by acknowledging the wealth of talent within Ghana’s media landscape, stating the impressive skills present in film, television, and theater.
However, she lamented that despite this talent, the industry remains largely passion-driven rather than structured as a sustainable business model.
“In other countries, you have distinct sectors such as production, distribution, and marketing that operate independently. Here in Ghana, a producer often wears multiple hats, directing, financing, and distributing their own films,” she explained.
The actress pointed out that this multifaceted approach often limits the reach and success of local films.
She raised concerns about the lack of exhibition venues, stating, “How many cinemas do we have in the whole country? If someone were to invest substantial sums into a film, how would they recoup their investment?” With limited theatrical runs and the evolving landscape of streaming services, Miss Abebrese emphasized that Ghanaian films struggle to compete in an increasingly global market.
She further elaborated on the discrepancies in consumer willingness to pay for local content compared to international films. “The money that streamers are investing in this region isn’t yielding the same subscriber results as it does elsewhere. If a streamer invests 100 million cedis but only attracts 1,000 subscribers for a Ghanaian film, they’ll naturally shift their focus to markets with larger audiences,” she stated.
Miss Abebrese stressed the importance of recognizing the film industry as a significant contributor to the economy, creating jobs not just for actors and technicians but also for caterers, transporters, and many others involved in production. “Our industry provides livelihoods for countless people,” she asserted. “Yet, it’s often overlooked as merely entertainment.”
She called on the government to establish a robust framework that supports the film sector, emphasizing that it is not merely financial assistance that is needed but rather a structured system that allows for growth and sustainability. “Successive governments have not done enough to put the right frameworks in place,” she said.
As the conversation drew to a close, Abebrese expressed her commitment to continuing this dialogue and advocating for meaningful change within Ghana’s film industry. “We could be here all day discussing these issues,” she asserted.
