By Jacob Aggrey
Ghanaian filmmaker and creative industry expert Mawuko Kuadzi has begun his continental mentorship mandate as Africa’s highest-ranked Image Ambassador following his historic second ARTIOS Award win in the United States.
Mr. Kuadzi, who was recently honoured with the highest rank under the Africa Image Ambassador programme, became the first African in the 40-year history of the ARTIOS Awards to break the longstanding record by winning the prestigious honour.
In light of this achievement and his new role as a Sectoral Content Fellow (SCF) of the Africa Image Ambassador initiative, Mr. Kuadzi has been tasked with mentoring creatives across the continent to promote excellence and uphold the highest standards as Image Ambassadors of Africa.
He has since launched his mandate with a high-impact masterclass for final-year directing students at the University of Media, Arts and Communication – Institute of Film and Television (UniMAC-IFT), formerly NAFTI.
The session, titled “Casting the Truth: The Director and Casting Director Relationship,” was designed to move beyond academic theory and provide practical, honest, and inspiring industry insights.
During the hour-long session, Mr. Kuadzi emphasised a core philosophy that resonated strongly with the students: “Most directing problems are actually casting problems.”
He explained that casting is not merely about finding people who fit roles, but about “finding human beings who can truthfully carry emotion.” He outlined five key qualities directors should look for in actors: emotional truth, presence, listening ability, flexibility, and chemistry.
A major highlight of the masterclass was a live audition exercise, where students observed how different directing approaches — realistic, emotionally intense, or comedic — could completely change a performance.
Mr. Kuadzi also demonstrated the difference between vague direction such as “do it better” and effective, emotionally clear direction such as “you’re trying not to cry because you don’t want them to see your weakness.”
He strongly advised against celebrity or “family and friends” casting, urging future directors to prioritise suitability and authenticity over popularity.
Speaking after the masterclass, Mr. Kuadzi noted that his new role as Sectoral Content Fellow carries a significant responsibility to mentor more people within the creative sector.
“I pledge to deliver on that mandate,” he said. “This masterclass at UniMAC-IFT is just the beginning. I am expected in Uganda in the coming days to deliver a similar programme for creatives there.”
The citation conferring this mentorship responsibility was presented to Mr. Kuadzi by the ACCP Executive Council, led by veteran actor and producer Harold Roger Quartey, Chairman of the Media and Culture Sector of the African Chamber of Content Producers (ACCP), alongside veteran actor Fred Nii Amugi, an advisory board member of the chamber.
Other industry players and members of the chamber from across Africa were also present to bestow the honour.
Nana Dwomoh-Doyen, President of the African Chamber of Content Producers, revealed that the chamber is currently working to identify successful industry strategies from one African country and replicate them across the continent, with Image Ambassadors serving as mentors to drive the process.
“Other African countries are waiting to benefit from Mawuko’s expertise in developing their own industries, and the chamber is working with Mr. Mawuko Kuadzi to support all of them,” Nana Dwomoh-Doyen said.
Lecturer at UniMAC-IFT’s Department of Film Artistry and lead facilitator of the masterclass, George Bosompim, expressed satisfaction with the programme’s impact and participants’ feedback.
“Mawuko has taken the art of casting to a professional level unmatched by anyone in the industry today. The masterclass for Level 300 and 400 students of UniMAC-IFT was intended to prepare them for their final productions.
“It was also an opportunity for him to share his achievements and experiences. It gave students insight into the realities of the film and television industry, particularly in the area of casting for screen productions.
“It was eye-opening, insightful, and educational,” he said.
Students who attended the masterclass described it as eye-opening and career-defining.
Thompson, a former student of IFT, said: “I learnt that one reason for hiring a casting director is to reduce the workload of the director so the director can focus on the creative side. Casting directors negotiate actors’ fees and serve as the mouthpiece for the actors.”
Mavis Aboagye Dankwa, a Level 300 student at UniMAC-IFT, added: “This masterclass with MK Casting was extremely helpful. I learned so much about what casting directors actually do, the challenges they face, and how to enter the field. I would definitely recommend a casting course in Ghana.”
Jared Akwesi, another student, simply stated: “It gave me a direction to follow as an aspiring director.”
Ending the session, Mr. Kuadzi left the students with three key lessons: great casting solves half the directing challenges; actors remember how directors make them feel; and audiences connect with emotional truth, not perfection.
“Don’t cast actors because they are famous,” he told them.
“Cast actors because they are truthful. Audiences forgive many things, but they never forgive false performances.”
