{"id":56566,"date":"2025-09-11T04:41:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T04:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/56566\/"},"modified":"2025-09-11T04:41:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T04:41:09","slug":"the-eyes-of-ghana-on-tiff-premiere-cinemas-political-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/56566\/","title":{"rendered":"‘The Eyes of Ghana’ on TIFF Premiere, Cinema’s Political Power"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tTwo-time Oscar winner returned to his native Canada last week to debut his latest documentary, \u201cThe Eyes of Ghana<\/a>,\u201d a powerful feature about the African country\u2019s buried cinema history and the 93-year-old filmmaker who has dedicated his life to restoring it.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat filmmaker, Chris Hesse, was the personal cinematographer to Kwame Nkrumah, the African revolutionary who became the first president of Ghana. Thus, Hesse had a front row seat to the dawn of African independence from colonialist rule and he captured it all on film \u2014 including Nkrumah\u2019s rise and fall, as the politician was eventually overthrown by a coup. Much of that footage was ordered to be destroyed amid the political turmoil but the negatives were preserved in a secret archive in London. In the decades since, Hesse has worked to rescue and repatriate the collection.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe really wanted to write a love letter to the power of cinema. That is at the core of what this movie is.\u201d Proudfoot says of the film, which his Breakwater Studios produced alongside Barack and Michelle Obama\u2019s Higher Ground<\/a> Productions.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt is not a hardcore historical documentary,\u201d Proudfoot explains. \u201cWe wanted to make a film that was full of love that could introduce folks to a period of history that they may have never heard of before and rally people behind the importance of preserving that part of history and preserving celluloid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Eyes of Ghana\u201d also sees Hesse pass on his legacy to a younger Ghanian filmmaker, Anita Afonu. In 2013, Afonu made a short documentary called \u201cPerished Diamonds,\u201d which chronicled the history of Ghanian cinema and the decay of the country\u2019s film archive and industry, and she\u2019s since joined Hesse\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHaving the opportunity to go through [the archive], oh my God, it was incredible. Because I went to four years of film school and I\u2019ve never ever seen these films,\u201d Afonu says. \u201cIt is so important for us to be able to access these films. We need to be able to see what was done. We need inspiration for our own filmmakers in Ghana.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHere, Proudfoot and Afonu discuss the making of the documentary, its potential impact on the Ghanian film industry and what Hesse makes of the patriotic project.<\/p>\n

\t\tHow are you feeling after the premiere?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tAnita Afonu: <\/strong>Oh, it\u2019s been such a relief. Just how it\u2019s been talked about and this being the biggest public film festival, it does feel like a real privilege and I can\u2019t wait for more people to see it.<\/p>\n

\n\tBen Proudfoot:<\/strong> As a Canadian and a proud Nova Scotian, to be here for the first time and opening the festival is an extraordinary honor. It just mean the world to have my mom in the audience and just be here with my people. It\u2019s been extraordinary. I\u2019ve overwhelmed, honestly.<\/p>\n

\t\tIt struck me that you are filmmakers making a movie about the power of cinema where your lead subject is also a filmmaker. How did you wrap your heads around this meta nature of this production?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tProudfoot: <\/strong>Yes, it is that meta thing of filmmakers making a movie about filmmakers \u2014 and for our cinematographer, Brandon Somerhalder, shooting a film about a cinematographer. It\u2019s essential in the next 20 years that we invest major time and resources to make sure films like Chris Hesse managed to protect and preserve don\u2019t go away. So, I am extraordinarily energized as a filmmaker because who knows where we\u2019ll be 60 years from now. What shelf will our films be on? We need to carry the torch for each other as filmmakers. That\u2019s what bonded us as young filmmakers to the 93-year-old filmmaker that is Chris Hesse.<\/p>\n

\n\tAfonu:<\/strong> I\u2019m incredibly grateful that Ben was willing to take everyone\u2019s suggestions. He didn\u2019t just put me in it as a storyteller, but he also invited me to consult on the use of the archival material, to advise and watch the film, to add notes. It wasn\u2019t just Ben making a film, but we told Ben a story and Ben helped carry it. That is the beauty of this collaboration. In the end, of course Ben directed it, but everybody\u2019s input was so important.<\/p>\n

\t\tThere\u2019s only 15 minutes of archive footage in the film, but there\u2019s more than 300 hours that have not yet been seen. Chris has been fighting to get that footage digitized for decades and now the proceeds of this film will be devoted to that effort. Why was that important?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tProudfoot: <\/strong>It\u2019s our mission. As documentary filmmakers, we get behind people with important missions and [the film archive used in the film] is the tip of the iceberg. It\u2019s a tiny if you watch the whole movie you see these images that I\u2019ve never been seen before.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s just the tiniest part of this much larger vision. We are so grateful in our partners at Higher Ground in the Obamas, who joined hands with us and said, \u201cHow could we ever put a dollar in the piggy bank before putting a dollar towards digitizing all these films?\u201d And we shook hands and said let\u2019s put every dollar we can muster into digitizing these films and into restoring Rex cinema, which is a big part of this movie and endowing that in perpetuity. So, Chris Hesse\u2019s mission has become our mission.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u201cThe Eyes of Ghana\u201d filmmakers \u2014 subject and producer Anita Afono, left, director Ben Proudfoot, cinematographer Brandon Somerhalder and producer Nana Adwoa Frimpong \u2014 at the Toronto Film Festival.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty Images for IMDb<\/p>\n

\t\tWhat was it like going through the archive with Chris? Were there certain films that he wanted to make sure to include in the documentary?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tProudfoot:<\/strong> Chris had meticulously created a list of the films; we just went through them and he picked out the ones that he thought we should digitize. We basically kept scanning them until the credit card backed up. We got to like 45 films. Some of them were important \u2014 here\u2019s when Nkrumah visits Harlem or here\u2019s when he delivered this very important speech where he introduced the idea of the United States of Africa. Other times, Chris remembered shooting things that didn\u2019t make it into movies; like the end of the film, which are these images of incredible fabrics and patterns, those were end credit plates he had shot for a movie called \u201cPanoply of Ghana\u201d that hadn\u2019t been used. His memory was extraordinary! He had shot it 60 or 65 years prior, and there they were in a beautiful 35mm celluloid. They were just as vibrant as the day they rolled through the camera.<\/p>\n

\n\tAfonu: <\/strong>Having the opportunity to have a firsthand look at this newly-digitized material, you have no idea how great the feeling was. I can\u2019t wait for all of these films to be digitized and repatriated, to be sent to Ghana and to be made accessible to researchers, to filmmakers, to anybody that is interested.<\/p>\n

\t\tThe film captures a special screening of some of the archival footage at the Rex Cinema in Ghana. It\u2019s an incredibly powerful scene to watch. What do you imagine it will be like to screen this documentary in Ghana?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tAfonu: <\/strong>It will create a sense of urgency in government to take this seriously. Because in the last decade, I have been chasing, writing to and trying to impress on government and doing so much advocacy that these films need to be digitized. It\u2019s important that we got to see them. I take one step forward and then ten steps back. Government changes hands and then we have to start the process all over again. This film, once seen by people in power in Ghana, I strongly believe it will create a sense of urgency in them to get this going.<\/p>\n

\n\tI also feel it will create a huge resurgence in wanting to know more about Kwame Nkrumah for the young generation of Ghanians who don\u2019t know him that well. This film shows a nuanced political figure. You get to see him giving powerful speeches. You get to see him very playful. Those are images of Nkrumah we have never seen before. It\u2019s going to make a huge impact.<\/p>\n

\t\tNkrumah was well-aware of the power of cinema to market Ghana, the same way Hollywood was marketing America through films. What do you hope international audiences will learn about Ghana through this film?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tAfonu:<\/strong> The film for me is full circle. Once upon a time, like Chris said, there was a man called Kwame Nkrumah, and he inspired the liberation of the African continent. He does this, which extends to Barack Obama Sr. [a Kenyan economist], which then extends to the United States having the first Black president, Barack Obama, who is now an executive producer for this film. It goes to show you Kwame Nkrumah\u2019s impact on the continent.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt also tells you that there was a time in Ghana\u2019s life where filmmaking was actually a thing. There was a president who was so interested in cinema, who understood the power of cinema, that he made effort to have Ghana be the space for filmmaking on the continent. It is beautiful and inspiring to see that that was a time when something like this actually did exist. When people watch this, and see that we had a charismatic leader like Kwame Nkrumah and it was because of him that that the continent changed, it\u2019s gonna bring about a resurgence. People are going to know more about Ghana, more about in Nkrumah and essentially take more interest in cinema on the continent.<\/p>\n

\t\tThis film underlines a larger conversation about how cinema and art are an important tool to tell our stories in a time when much of history is being erased, especially in America. Ben, what it is like to have this film debut in this current political climate?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tProudfoot: <\/strong>We live in the time when people have risen to the highest seats of power in the world who aim to erase history. To change the facts and to gaslight the public. That\u2019s where we are right now. As documentarians, we have a choice: we can shy away from it and say, \u201cWell, I\u2019m not going to upset the apple cart\u201d or \u201cThere\u2019s no money in documentaries right now.\u201d I say, \u201cScrew that. Now\u2019s the time to be courageous. Now is the time to be brave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIf Chris Hesse could do what he did \u2014 and it was a dangerous job; he survived multiple assassination attempts on Kwame Nkrumah\u2019s life \u2014 and then spent 60-plus years preserving and protecting his films, so that we now can see that part of history and be the beneficiary of that. If he can do that, surely, we can continue to keep on filming, as Chris says. Surely we can keep the torch of truth burning in our time when others seek to erase and suppress history. It\u2019s the essential message of our movie. Keep on filming. It is a moral duty that we all have a documentary filmmakers in 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\tWhat did Chris think of the movie?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tProudfoot: <\/strong>We showed him a cut and he was overwhelmed. I mean, can you imagine? Ninety-three years old and out of nowhere here comes this coalition of international filmmakers to tell your story and help make your wishes come true. I think he\u2019s overwhelmed. He\u2019s extremely excited about this premiere; he couldn\u2019t make it from Ghana because it\u2019s such a long trip. He\u2019s in the evening of his life, as he said. But we\u2019re really hopeful that he\u2019ll be able to make the U.K. premiere at the BFI London Film Festival. We\u2019re excited to shower him with the love and celebration that he deserves.<\/p>\n

\n\tAfonu: <\/strong>Before I came to Toronto, I went to him and I read him the press releases to him, and he was just so happy. I\u2019m incredibly grateful that this film has been made while he is still with us because it would be such a shame if this became a posthumous celebration. Because he has worked quietly and diligently and it\u2019s now time for the world to see the work he has done. I\u2019m just so grateful that he is still with us, he has seen a cut and he\u2019ll be seeing the film with an audience. I can\u2019t wait to see him be celebrated for the person that he is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two-time Oscar winner returned to his native Canada last week to debut his latest documentary, \u201cThe Eyes of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56567,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[263],"tags":[37015,9985,18,117,40282,19,17,327,37019],"class_list":{"0":"post-56566","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-ben-proudfoot","9":"tag-documentaries-to-watch","10":"tag-eire","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-higher-ground","13":"tag-ie","14":"tag-ireland","15":"tag-movies","16":"tag-the-eyes-of-ghana"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56566"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56566\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}