Award-winning filmmaker Shirley Frimpong-Manso has revealed that her upcoming film, Agency for the Dead, was inspired by her desire to give audiences a light-hearted cinematic experience away from the usual serious themes.

Speaking during a press briefing on October 20, 2026, ahead of the movie’s release, Shirley said she intentionally set out to create a fun and entertaining film that would leave moviegoers laughing from start to finish.

“I wanted to do something fun, away from the serious stuff. For a long time, people have been asking, ‘Can we just come into the cinema and probably just have a good laugh?’ That was really the inspiration,” she said.

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According to the celebrated filmmaker, the script was initially written simply for fun, adding that she believes audiences have been craving comedy on the big screen.

“I was writing for fun. For me, I just wanted people to come to the cinema and have a good laugh,” she stated.

Shirley also disclosed that while Agency for the Dead runs for almost one hour and 45 minutes, there is room for more if audiences embrace the project.

“It’s almost about an hour and 45 minutes. Where we are going, anything is very, very possible, but the audience will have to ask for it. So the audience should come and watch it,” she added.

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Explaining her choice of cast, Shirley noted that she deliberately assembled actors she believed had the natural ability to deliver comedy, stressing that making people laugh is far more difficult than many assume.

“I just wanted an ensemble that could bring the humour. A lot of people think comedy is easy, but it’s not. It’s probably the hardest thing to do because you have to get people to actually laugh,” she explained.

Shirley Frimpong-Manso is set to premiere her much-anticipated film, Agency for the Dead, on October 30, 2026, at Silverbird Cinemas in Accra.

The movie features celebrated Ghanaian actresses Jocelyn Dumas and Yvonne Okoro, as well as George Quaye and David Dontoh, among others.

Watch the video below:

"I wanted to do something fun and entertaining" – @shirleyfmanso speaks on inspiration behind ‘Agency for the Dead’ film

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— GhanaWeb (@TheGhanaWeb) October 20, 2026

“SHIRLEY IS CRAZY!” 😂😭 Actress Yvonne Okoro reveals her FIRST reaction after reading the script for the yet-to-premiere movie Agency for the Dead. 👀🎬

She spoke to GhanaWeb at the movie’s special screening at Silverbird Cinemas in Accra.

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#ghanawebtv https://t.co/oYAZr4PEWZ

— GhanaWeb (@TheGhanaWeb) October 20, 2026