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Nana Poku Ashis, a well-known Ghanaian producer, faults the struggling movie industry on producers’ lack of promotion for their films.
During an interview with Hitz FM on July 18, 2024, he highlighted the potential collaborations that were overlooked between the movie studios in Accra and Kumasi, also referred to as Kumawood.
He pointed out that while Kumawood, with leaders like Agya Koo, was flourishing, the upper class in Accra were prioritizing imitating the Nigerian film industry. He thinks this caused a separation.
“Agya Koo and the Kumawood people sprung up and it was big, but our people in Accra did not tap into it. They should have tapped into that side when it was really booming. Accra and the other places that were elite had jumped on the Nigerian style of movies. But not everybody wants to be as flashy or wants to be elite. So, the Agya Koo thems were doing it and our people sat back and started hurling all sorts of words at them.
“There should have been a merger. A few of them tried doing it. I saw Van Vicker and the rest of them moving into that space. We should have actually taken advantage of those Kumawood people. By now, I’m sure a lot of them will not be complaining of what they are complaining of now,” he said.
He noted that movie producers worldwide travel with their films, promoting them in different places. Nevertheless, in Ghana, the practice has been to release movies at locations such as Accra Mall and then neglect to promote them further.
He recommended going back to traditional promotional techniques, like traveling to rural areas and connecting directly with communities, just like in political campaigns.
“Movie producers worldwide take their movies on tour. They move from one cinema to another, you know, but here the person launches at Accra Mall. They want to wear fine clothes and go and stand there. After that, everybody goes to sleep.
“We should go back to the ways of promoting, back in the days, the way we used to promote our movies, by going to the villages doing the concert style.
“Take it to the rural areas, create a movie and have a plan. Why are you limiting yourself thinking that the whole thing is in Accra? That is the problem. Be closer like the politicians do when they are campaigning for votes. Go and let the people know that they are here to premiere their movie and they are in town, do a radio station tour, do an activation at the market. Do you think that people will not troop in to watch their video?” he said.
Ashis encouraged filmmakers to reconsider their marketing approaches and acknowledge the overlooked opportunities in Ghana, instead of focusing only on the bigger Nigerian market.
NKONKONSA.com
