By BrownGH.com

Copyright browngh

Award-winning Ghanaian filmmaker Leila Djansi has urged local creators to rethink their approach to filmmaking, stressing that it should be treated primarily as a business.

Djansi criticized the current system in Ghana, where filmmakers are forced to act as both creators and distributors, calling it unsustainable. “In Ghana, filmmakers are forced to play both creator and distributor. That’s unsustainable. Your job is to make the film. Get someone else to sell it. Collaborate. Build distribution networks across West Africa, into the diaspora, and then let streamers become an option, not a lifeline,” she said in a post seen by Browngh.com.

She encouraged filmmakers to work with professional distributors and plan their projects from the script stage with a clear marketing and distribution strategy.

“From script stage, you must think about your marketing and distribution strategy: Cinema → TV → SVOD → AVOD/FAST. That waterfall ensures your film earns over years, not just once,” Djansi explained.

Djansi also emphasized the need for compelling storytelling that connects with audiences, criticizing repetitive or uninspiring narratives.

“While people are telling stories about planting potatoes in space, y’all are still telling us how Ama cannot find love and then she met Kofi. Remember, your audience has options. The world has become so small,” she said.

She further noted that relying on government funding is not a viable solution, pointing to urgent needs in the country’s health and infrastructure sectors.

“Stop begging the government for money when maternity wards and stroke units across the country can’t even boast of a single patient monitor,” Djansi added.