Ghana Tv Stations killed our film industry

Ghanaian actress and film producer Selassie Ibrahim has criticised local television stations, firmly accusing them of contributing to the collapse of Ghana’s once-thriving film industry, often referred to as “Ghallywood.”

Speaking in a passionate interview on Daybreak Hitz on Hitz FM, she argued that television channels prioritise cheap foreign content over quality local productions, making it nearly impossible for Ghanaian filmmakers to sustain their businesses.

Despite the popularity of international films, Selassie Ibrahim who has been a major force in the industry for decades expressed frustration at the lack of support and the extremely low purchasing fees offered to Ghanaian producers.

“Look, the TV channels are not helping us. I’ll say it again. I don’t care what they think or say. I’ve said it before and they attacked me, but I will keep repeating it until something changes.”

She highlighted the huge gap between production costs and the meagre fees offered by local stations, suggesting that their practices drive local producers into debt.

“You produce content and take it to TV stations, and they look you in the eye and offer you just a thousand Ghana cedis, when I spent over $20,000 to $30,000.”

She also called out the inconsistency of channels opting for old foreign films—long after they have earned back their investment—over freshly produced Ghanaian content.

“Yet they go and buy movies that are 10 years old, which have already made their money in cinemas and elsewhere.”

Questioning the rationale behind such decisions, she accused the TV stations of deliberately undermining the local industry.

“You want us to sell our work at the same rate? Do you want to collapse our businesses? Because you’ve already done it. When people say Ghanaian film is dead, it breaks my heart, but how many people can you tell that the decline started with the TV stations? They killed our industry.”