The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Film Authority (NFA), Juliet Yaa Asantewa Asante, has charged stakeholders in the film industry to leverage the internet and social media to promote local movies to the world.
This she indicated would boost the entertainment sector while also promoting Ghana to the world, raking in more tourists and investors into the country, as well as generating more revenue.
Ms Asante was speaking at the film sector stakeholders meeting in Tamale organized by the National Film Authority with support from the Ghana Tourism Development Project of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture.
She reiterated that although various groups and associations exist for their members, players believe the industry is unregulated and hence has gained little attention and funding, but has been criticized for its quality and industry standards.
To Ms. Asante, the local film industry needs to use new technologies such as the internet to distribute, exhibit, and market its films to the rest of the world.
Ms. Asante called for standardization of the film industry to make it more attractive to foreign investors, tourists, and other persons and organizations of interest to boost tourism, art, and culture, which will assist industry players to develop their capacity.
The purpose of enhancing the film industry in the Northern Region was part of the efforts of the (NFA) and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture to introduce stakeholders to the proposed legislative Instrument (LI) for the sector.
It was also to educate industry players about filmmaking processes, while the participants also received training about L.I in their work classifications.
The Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Academy of Film & Television Arts, George Bosompim, advised the film producers to comply with the laws regulating copyright and disbursement of royalties.
He urged them to conduct research on films in the country and the world to help them improve their production standards.
Mr. Bosompim, however, admonished them to promote and facilitate co-production between local and foreign producers as part of measures to promote their movies.
The Technical Advisor for Ghana Tourism Development Project, Professor Gabriel Eshun, called on the film industry to promote the moral, ethical, and aesthetic value of Ghanaian society as part of tourism promotion to the world.