Socrate Safo
Veteran filmmaker, Socrate Safo, has argued that persistent negative publicity surrounding local films played a major role in weakening confidence in the country’s movie industry.
Speaking on Okay FM on Wednesday, the filmmaker said the media once played a significant role in helping the local film sector thrive through promotions and advertising, but that relationship later changed.
According to him, the film industry previously created business opportunities for media organisations, with filmmakers investing heavily in promotional campaigns and advertisements.
“There was a time the film industry helped the media make so much money in terms of adverts and promotions. I remember the number of friends in the media whom I was personally sorting out for writing promotional content and ad libs,” he said.
Socrate Safo noted that the situation changed when some media personalities began criticising Ghanaian movies on air rather than encouraging audiences to watch them.
“It was all good until the same media started running the films down by talking bad against the movies they were supposed to be promoting. They were saying things like, ‘It’s not nice, and it’s boring,’ pushing away potential viewers and investors,” he stated.
The filmmaker recalled confronting a television presenter in Accra after hearing plans to compare Ghanaian films with Nigerian productions during a programme, explaining that he believed such comparisons were harmful to the local industry.
“I had to go to them after the show to tell them that what they were doing was not good. They were damaging the industry,” he recalled.
Socrate Safo maintained that the continued negative perception surrounding Ghanaian movies contributed to the industry’s decline, adding that both filmmakers and media practitioners have suffered from the reduced commercial activity.
“If they were actually promoting the movies, they would have gotten more money, and it circulates. That is how industries grow,” he added.