Peter Sedufia
Filmmaker Peter Sedufia says the absence of Ghanaian movies from major streaming platforms like Amazon and Netflix does not mean films from Ghana are not good.
According to him, Ghanaian filmmakers do produce good movies; however, the decision to accept those movies on the streaming platforms is the sole discretion of the owners.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, he shared a portion of an email he received from his distributor informing him about Amazon rejecting to put his film, ‘Aloe Vera’, on their platform even though they loved the film.
He wrote, “this is a private email from my distributor; it doesn’t concern anyone. But, I’m selectively sharing this portion for the good of our industry, so we understand the hurdle our film industry has to cross. And also, to let the many Ghanaians who keep stressing and insulting us (Ghanaian filmmakers) for not getting our films on Netflix or Amazon.”
“We make quality films in Ghana, as I keep saying, but to land on these platforms, are entirely the decisions of the owners. “They are business people, they have priorities, and they have their strategies to ensure maximum revenue. They go where the money is,” he added.
“To be fair, Netflix has broadened its acquisition territories in Africa at the moment. But, just understand that the order is still similar to what Amazon has, and it always reflects even in the monetary values of the offers. I’m sure Ghana would be 4th or 5th on the Netflix order. It’s also a matter of going where the money is,” he added.