Ghana’s Ghallywood Makes a Comeback as Borga Wins Big at AMAA Awards.
The AMAAs 2022, which saw numerous films and actors take home honours took place in Lagos on Sunday, October 30, and nominated Borga for 15 awards.
There's a lot to learn when it comes to filmmaking. Although it requires a lot of capital, there is considerable uncertainty in terms of profitability even among the best producers. The ability to make profits is even more difficult in a developing industry like Ghana, fraught with inadequate capital, copyright infringement and piracy.
With hundreds of popular movies produced every year, the Ghanaian film industry has weathered the storms for decades. The industry, however, has been hampered by persistent problems with poor infrastructure, a breakdown in distribution and marketing channels, and the biggest of all, copyright infringements and piracy. The combination of these factors erodes the profits of stakeholders in the film industry
Among the most recent awards presented by the Africa Movie Academy, commonly known as AMAA, and the AMAA Awards, which recognize excellence among professionals working in or contributing to the African film industry, and the Ghana film industry, is Borga.
Ghallywood can indeed create better stories with proper infrastructure. Borga proves that African cinema can benefit from the industry. A collaboration between Ghanaian and German creatives, The Project tells the story of Kojo and Yoofi who grew up on the electronic waste dump Agbogbloshi in Accra, Ghana's capital. To survive, they extract valuable metals by burning western electronic devices. Kojo is a second born son who wants to gain the acknowledgement and respect of his father. One day Kojo meets a Borga from Germany. His dream of going there was born. 10 years later he leaves his family behind to fulfill his dream of becoming a Borga. Arriving in Germany after a five-year odyssey through the continents he realizes quickly that he was chasing a myth. Germany does not welcome Kojo with open arms. Going back is, however, not a viable option. Being ashamed of coming home and not having made it, he has to fulfill the picture of the wealthy Borga from Germany.
Three awards were won at the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2022 for the feature film that had its world premiere in 2021 while competing at the Max Ophüls Preis, one of the most important platforms for upcoming new talents from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. The film was also selected for the Berlinale Co-Production Market in 2021.
The AMAAs 2022, which saw numerous films and actors take home honours took place in Lagos on Sunday, October 30, and nominated Borga for 15 awards including overall Best Film, Best Film in an African Language, Best Director, and Cinematography.
The film won the Best Screenplay award, and Actor Eugene Boateng, who also doubles as the film’s Associate Producer, won the Best Actor in Leading Role award. Celebrated Ghanaian actor Adjetey Anang won the Best Actor in a Supporting Role award.
Meanwhile, as a testimony to the quality of film produced by the Ghanian film industry in recent times, the Ghanaian film ‘Road To My Father’s Compound’ directed by Benedict Yeboah was also nominated in five award categories which includes Best Actor and Actress in Lead Role.
A night of celebration and honoring the work of African film industry players has been a tradition at AMAAs since 2005 and putting these Ghanaian projects in the spotlight is the right step in the right direction for the industry as a whole. The nominations for this year were obtained from a total of 362 entries and 100 films were shortlisted after screening. The fact that Ghanian film won in this capacity after a long time shows that the industry is utilizing its growth to produce better quality films that can compete on the global market and drive better investments in the future.
