A Conversation in the comments section leads to a gold mine for art lovers and a fountain of inspiration for die-hard filmmakers.
If you have a passion for filmmaking, love indie films, know Ghanian culture, or even found yourself in a spiral on social media, it's possible you've already run into a Ghanaian film somewhere. Many countries on the African continent have a rich film history and culture, like the notable Nigerian film industry affectionately referred to as "Nollywood".
Ghana however, is in a league all of its own.
When you first run across a Ghanaian film, or if you've seen one before you know it's theirs because you go:
Wait. What did I just see.
The more you watch, the more addicted you get. Some of them are original stories while many of them are the best remakes you've ever seen. The production quality is the first thing you notice. Whether it makes you laugh or makes you feel at home or both, what you're seeing is creative human ingenuity at it's finest.
If you're Ghanaian these movies might be part of your childhood but if you're not, this is your chance to get to know Ghanaian films and the incredible history behind them.
GHANIAN FILM CLIP
Now get this: not only films were remade but also the movie posters, hand drawn by Ghanaian artists, and they're incredible.
Poking around in the comments section as one does, I received a pearl of a reference. It's fair to mention that the post that got me to this comment in the first place was a montage of creatively designed Fantasy Coffins for which Ghana is internationally known.
It's fair to mention that the post that got me to this comment in the first place was a montage of creatively designed Fantasy Coffins...
Between the coffins and the film clips there will be a lot of questions but one thing is clear: Ghana is for legit artists. A commenter jumped in under my observation and suggested that I go to the @deadlypreygallery to see a collection of movie poster art. Needless to say, I ran, and was not disappointed.
The account does an excellent job of providing information about the artists and the Ghanaian film industry and even more, the Deadly Prey Gallery sells prints on their website whose proceeds go 100% back to the artists.
Get ready because the artists not only covered movies but music groups, and sitcoms too. The rendition of Mean Girls alone by Ghanaian artist Heavy J is a masterpiece to be pored over.
MEAN GIRLS
MOVIE POSTERS
SITCOMS
MUSIC BANDS
Beyond the cool art and industrious filmmaking, what really comes through seems to be a passion for making and sharing stories by any means available.
Resilience. Ingenuity. Dedication. These are necessary characteristics a good Director and Producer must possess in order to bring visions to life and this is what you see not just in Ghanaian film but culturally, through their art.
It's easy to make a flashy film with $75 million dollars. It's totally doable to shoot a budget pilot on $10k. Yo, it's even possible to make something cute in a high school film club, but this isn't just about money, it's about access and creative perseverance - full stop.
Deadly Prey Gallery co-posted with one of the film stars @whatsupdanny on Instagram, offering some useful history about the Ghanaian film industry that explains a lot:
"To those of you new to Deadly Prey Gallery and the world of hand-painted Ghanaian movie posters, please know there is a rich history worth exploring! To quickly summarize, back in the 80's through the mid 2000's a group of artists in Ghana would paint elaborate, over the top, often violent and horrific movie posters on the back of recycled flour sacks to advertise movie screenings. They were part of the Ghanaian mobile cinema Video clubs equipped with a television, vor, vhs tapes, and a portable generator would travel throughout Ghana setting up make-shift screening areas in villages with no electricity.
Since printing was so expensive then, these artists would paint these posters to advertise what was showing.
The more wild the poster, the higher the ticket sales!
Ghana's mobile cinema is sadly no more, but we work with many of these same artists today making hand-painted movie posters for our customers! Please check out our website and store to learn more. All of our merch profits go directly to the artists in Ghana"
There's nothing wrong with making your imagination work a little harder. Whether the movies make you laugh, make you feel at home, or even inspire you to make your own film, one thing is for sure, the creativity in Ghana is something to respect and admire. So put your feet up, get comfortable, and put on a film or a couple clips from a Ghanaian director tonight, you won't be disappointed.
Bình luận