Actress and filmmaker, Ama K. Abebrese, has spoken out strongly against the illegal showing of Ghanaian movies by local TV stations, saying it is destroying the country’s ailing movie industry.
Speaking on UTV’s United Showbiz, Ama K revealed how her film, The Burial of Kojo, was aired on TV without permission just a month after it premiered on Netflix in 2019.
“We struggled to make that movie. We didn’t have money, so we raised funds through Kickstarter. Then a TV station showed it without asking us,” she said. “When I called to complain, the person acted like they didn’t know anything. Then they blocked my number.”
Ama K also shared how this problem has been going on for years. Back when she worked at Viasat 1, her team paid for the rights to show movies like Harry Potter, but other stations would still show them illegally.
“This has been happening since 2012. Nothing has been done. Some people think they can do anything because they know people in power,” she said. She added that the arts in Ghana are not taken seriously, especially by those in charge.
“In Ghana, the arts are seen as just entertainment. But this is our work, our lives,” she said.
Ama K warned that if piracy continues and laws are not enforced, the film industry will keep suffering.
“People say the Ghana movie industry is dead. But it’s not just because of lack of support — it’s also because of piracy. We’re killing our own industry. We are our own worst enemies,” she said.