Practitioners in Ghana’s film industry on Tuesday picketed at the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture to demand the constitution of a board for the National Film Authority as well as the appointment of an executive secretary.
The picketers, mainly actors and producers, said per the film bill which was passed into law in 2016, new structures such as the National Film Authority and its governing board, the Film Development Fund as well as the Film Classification Committee were expected to be created and their activities streamlined.
Key among the practioners were James Gardener, Oscar Provencal, Akofa Edjeani Asiedu and Ama K. Abebrese.
For the past three years, the practitioners claim they have been pushing for the president to operationalise the law without success, noting there is currently no executive secretary or a board for the Film Authority.
Holding placards with the inscriptions: “NFA now”, “the film industry is bleeding”, “establish National Film Authority now” and “NFA; the future of Ghana film”, the practitioners explained their decision to picket at the Ministry stemmed from the delays in operationalising the law.
“For me as somebody in film making, it’s important that when the outside world even comes in to collaborate that we have our Act in place functioning so that we can also be key industry players,” Ama K. Abebrese said.
The Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Barbara Oteng Gyasi, who received the practitioners, pleaded to be given up to December ending to deal with the issue.
She assured them the president has minuted on a document on the matter and forwarded it to the Council of State for advice.
“The president has played his part, he has nominated the executive secretary as well as the board chairperson.
“The entire constitution of the board has now been submitted to the Council of State for approval…once that is done, the board will be inaugurated and they will be ceased with addressing all the issues affecting the industry,” she revealed.
By Owusu Worae|3news.com|Ghana