Movies & TV

Film industry faces eminent collapse with dwindling demand

Published on May 19, 2015

Members of the Film Producers Association of Ghana say they are incurring losses, while others fold up as the unending power crisis continues to bite.

The industry has seen a drop in the number of movies released in a month from 60 to about 12 as a result of the power challenge.

General Secretary, James Aboagye, says many of the 200 members have shut down their production firms with ‘defiant’ ones battling with medical conditions such as high blood pressure, all thanks to what has become known as ‘dumsor’ in the Ghanaian parlance.

He recounts incidents where their members are chased by banks who want to recover loans advanced to them.

“Some producers have gone for loans to produce movies. They couldn’t even break even let alone making profit. They are losing their properties to these financial institutions. I know a couple of producers whose properties they used as collaterals have been taken away by these financial institutions.

“I know some of them who have fallen sick as a result of pressure from the banks they took loans from. So we just want to appeal to government that; if there is something they can do, they have to expedite action,” worried Mr. Aboagye pleaded.

Mr. Aboagye’s comments come as stakeholders in the film industry prepare to hit the streets in Kumasi on Thursday to register their anger with government over the unending energy crisis.

The protest march, dubbed “Esum Aduru Yen” is expected to draw several movie producers, actresses and actors, and moving loving public.

Mr. Aboagye fears the industry may collapse if nothing urgent is done.

“If there is any industry that has seriously been hit by the dumsor, I will say it is the film industry because film is photography and photography is light. So if there is no energy to power the lights, then there is no film. Right from production till you finish the movie; you need light. Then the consumption, you need light [power] so if there is no power to create consumption, it means there is no demand.”