The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has approved a 14-member committee to select a film to represent Ghana at the 90th Oscars which will run in 2018.
Following the guidance of the Academy, the committee is tasked to select from open submissions one film to be the official film from Ghana at the awards.
In 1969, Algeria became the first African country to win an Academy Award, this was followed in 1976 by Ivory Coast with the film Black and White in Color.
African countries and films represented at the Academy Awards in the past have included Tsotsi from South Africa, Lamb from Ethiopia, Timbuktu from Mauritania. South Africa, Ivory Coast, Algeria and Mauritania went ahead to win foreign language Oscars.
Leila Djansi, who spearheaded the committee choice and submission to the Academy explained the motivation behind the move saying: “Since 2011, Films from Ghana and made by Ghanaians have successfully travelled the festival circuit by merit, with 2016 being our most successful year yet. It is time to tell a different story about Ghana and Africa. The Hollywood narrative has been poverty-prone, HIV and war.”
“We can best tell of our brave men and women who we meet in our daily lives. Regular people, regular heroes, whether it is a woman with a deformed child, or women atoning for crimes of their families, men who leave their dreams to take care of their homes. These are everyday heroes and if we don’t tell the truth about these people, the world will continue to believe the lies. The Oscars is the final pedestal, we’ll use that to show the world our Africa,” she continued.
