Lack of film critic's adds to inferior film

Sekondi (Western Region) - Kofi Amoatey, Director of Programmes at the National Commission on Culture (NCC) on Wednesday said lack of film critics, piracy and use non-professionals in film making, are some of the reasons for production of inferior films in the country.

He noted: ''excessive emphasis on sex, ghosts, juju, jealousy and violence should be substituted with hard work, honesty, truthfulness and cultural heritage''. Amoatey was speaking at a seminar on film production as part of the 10-day, National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFAC) at Sekondi.

The theme for NAFAC is "Culture, Development and the Ghanaian Identity". He said though the film industry is in its infant stages, every effort must be made to let Ghanaians films, features and documentaries reflect our identity as a people".

Amoatey urged film producers not to only "think of the profits, but must recruit professionals and popularise unknown local languages and cultural practices in your productions".

Vitus Nanbigne, a lecturer at the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI) said Ghanaian films could be great sources of foreign exchange if they are made to reflect creativity, historical and tourist sites in the country.

He reminded Ghanaians that religion alone cannot solve the country's economic problems and urged them to work hard work to resuscitate the economy. The participants called on Parliament to enact laws to enable film producers have access to loans and bank credit for the entertainment industry. They advised professionals in the film industry, to liase with the relevant agencies and produce quality films for the public.