Director for Creative Arts at the National Commission on Culture (NCC), Socrates Sarfo, says Ghana’s first ever Film Village will be put up in Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi.
According to Socrates Sarfo, there are deliberations for a second Film Village to be established at Kyebi, the hometown of President Akufo-Addo, in the Eastern Region.
“There was a first proposal for Eastern Region, then there was a second request for Kumasi”, he confirmed.
His explanation put to rest the hullabaloo about whether the Film Village will be sited in Kumasi where actors and actresses are readily available for movie production or Kyebi where there is little or no film activity.
A Film Village is a well constructed and designed place which will be used as a movie set for film production.
Mr. Sarfo’s explanation comes after some stakeholders in the film industry, led by a film producer, Michael Nyamekye, petitioned Parliament on their quest to have the Film Village sited in Kumasi, instead of Kyebi as was stated earlier.
Industry players and stakeholders were of the view that Kumasi is the hub of the movie industry in Ghana, hence the name ‘Kumawood’, and so they do not understand why the government would want to establish such a facility at a place where the ‘raw materials’ are not available.
Following the petition presented by the stakeholders, the Creative Arts Council issued a statement explaining what transpired behind the scenes on the sitting of the village.
The statement signed by the President of the Creative Arts Council, Mark Okraku-Mantey said: “We would like to bring to the notice of the general public that the sector Minister, Hon. Barbara Oteng Gyasi charged a team headed by the Deputy Minister, namely, Hon Alhaji Ziblim Iddi, Mark Okraku-Matey, Akwasi Agyeman, Kwadwo Antwi and Socrates Sarfo. Their mandate was to do feasibility study into where the Creative Arts Village could be sited.”
The statement explained that one of the village will be sited in Kumasi to serve the Northern Sector from Ashanti Regio, while the other will be in the Eastern Region to serve the Southern sector.
Speaking to Bright Kwasi Asempa on Onua FM’s Yen Sempa on Friday, Socrates Sarfo, said currently, a private investor has approached the committee working on the village.
He said a meeting has been held in Kumasi and lands have been provided for the purpose of the village.
Mr. Sarfo said that there would be a meeting with the private investor on August 15, 2019, to deliberate the way forward for the building of the village in Kumasi.
Kumawood actor, Abraham Davis, known in showbiz as Salinko who was also interviewed on Yen Sempa said the village can be established everywhere in Ghana, but it does not make sense to establish such a facility in the Eastern Region when Kumasi is the hub of the local movie industry in Ghana.
He explained that there may not be enough resources to establish two movie villages at a time, so it would be prudent to concentrate on the one in Kumasi before any other one.
Salinko said most actors and actresses do not have a means of transportation, so it would be difficult for them to make use of the village should it be established in the Eastern Region.
He praised the committee for being able to bring in a private investor, saying it will speed up the establishment of the facility.
By Kweku Antwi-Otoo|3news.com|Ghana