Selassie Ibrahim Urges Ghanaians to Change Attitude Towards Local Films

Founder of the REFFA Awards, Selassie Ibrahim, has called on Ghanaians to change their attitude towards locally produced films, arguing that negative perceptions and poor audience patronage are contributing significantly to the challenges facing the country’s movie industry.

Speaking in an interview with Kwame Dadzie on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z, the filmmaker said the struggles of Ghana’s film industry cannot be blamed solely on inadequate marketing strategies, insisting that many Ghanaians have developed a negative perception of local productions without taking the time to watch and assess their quality.

According to her, some audiences are quick to dismiss Ghanaian movies simply because they are locally produced, making it difficult for filmmakers to attract the support needed to sustain their work.

“It is not about failing to deploy the right tools to reach the Ghanaian consumer. My observation is that anything made in Ghana is often considered not good enough. People do not even take the time to watch and appreciate whether there has been improvement. They simply conclude that it is not good,” she said.

Selassie Ibrahim compared Ghana’s attitude towards its film industry with the level of support Nigerian audiences give to their local productions, noting that Nigerians demonstrate a stronger commitment to consuming and promoting their own content.

Drawing from her experience living and frequently working in Nigeria, she observed that Nigerian audiences are more willing to support homegrown productions, including films and television content available on DStv.

“I live in Nigeria and work there frequently. You will hardly find them turning away from their own content, even on DStv. They love their own and patronise it. No matter what, they want to support their own. But in Ghana, the opposite is often the case,” the filmmaker noted.

She therefore appealed to Ghanaians to make a conscious effort to support locally produced films by watching them, particularly those showing in cinemas.

She stressed that audience patronage is essential to the survival of the industry, explaining that producers who fail to recover their investments from previous projects often struggle to finance new productions.

“We are only pleading with Ghanaians to start watching our content. Go to the cinemas, watch our movies and encourage us to produce more. If I invest in a film and cannot recover even my initial investment, how do I go back on set to produce another one?” she asked.

According to Selassie, the inability to generate adequate returns from film investments creates a cycle that affects the quality and frequency of local productions.

She explained that when producers cannot recover the money invested in previous projects, they are left with limited resources to finance subsequent films and meet the expectations of audiences.

“You cannot give people the kind of content they want when you have not been able to sell your previous production or even recover your capital. You end up producing with whatever resources you have available, just to keep going,” she stated.

Despite the challenges, Selassie maintained that Ghana has the creative talent, storytelling ability and authentic stories needed to produce films that can compete with productions from other countries.

She rejected suggestions that Ghanaian filmmakers cannot create quality content, arguing instead that inadequate financial resources and irregular production activities affect their ability to maintain consistency and improve their craft.

“It is not that we cannot produce good content. Ghana has authentic stories to tell. We are intentional and detailed in our storytelling. But when you are not producing regularly, you become rusty. It is like acting, scriptwriting or driving; when you stop practising, you lose that sharpness,” she explained.

She noted that sustained film production is important for keeping filmmakers creative, experienced and connected to changing audience expectations.

However, while calling on the public to support Ghanaian movies, Selassie acknowledged that filmmakers also have responsibilities towards rebuilding the industry.

She urged producers and other industry players to improve their business practices, maintain proper financial records and adopt more professional approaches to film production and investment.

According to her, reviving the industry cannot be achieved by filmmakers alone but requires cooperation among producers, investors and the Ghanaian public.

“We also have a role to play. We must learn to put our books together and do things properly. It has to be a collective effort between filmmakers, investors and the Ghanaian public,” she added.

Her comments highlight the need for stronger local audience support, improved investment practices and greater collaboration among stakeholders to help Ghana’s film industry regain its strength and produce more consistently.

Source:myjoyonline