Ghanaian actress and film producer Selassie Ibrahim has criticised local television channels, squarely blaming them for the collapse of Ghana’s vibrant film industry, often dubbed “Ghallywood”.
Speaking passionately during an interview on Hitz FM, Selassie Ibrahim asserted that the channels prioritise cheap foreign content over high-quality local productions, rendering the business model for Ghanaian filmmakers unsustainable.
The Unprofitable Local Content Dilemma
Selassie Ibrahim, a key figure in the industry for decades, criticized the lack of support and the low acquisition fees offered to Ghanaian producers, contrasting it sharply with the readily accepted influx of foreign movies.
“Look, the TV channels are not helping us. I’ll say it again. I don’t care what they think. I don’t care what they say. I’ve said it before and they bashed me. But you know what? I will still keep saying it until they help us.”
She highlighted the massive disparity between production costs and acquisition fees, arguing that local channels actively force producers into debt:
“You shoot content and send it to TV channels; they look into your eyes and tell you a thousand Ghana cedis [GH₵1,000] when I spent over $20,000 to $30,000.”
This inadequate pricing structure, she argues, makes it impossible for producers to recoup their investment, leading to the current state of industry inactivity.
Prioritising Cheap Foreign Films
The producer pointed out the irony that local channels often prioritise old, amortised foreign content over brand-new Ghanaian productions.
“Yet they go and buy movies that are 10 years old that had made their money out of cinema and everything.”
She questioned the economic logic of this practice and accused the channels of wilfully destroying the indigenous creative economy.
Credit: myjoyonline.com
