American streamer IShowSpeed has joined the production of The Eyes of Ghana, a documentary exploring Ghana’s independence history through rare archival footage captured by Chris Hesse, the personal cinematographer of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
The project brings together Breakwater Studios and Higher Ground Productions, the production company founded by former United States President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama.
IShowSpeed, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr., is expected to help introduce the documentary and Hesse’s historical archive to a wider international audience.
Directed by two-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ben Proudfoot, the 90-minute film follows Hesse’s efforts to preserve footage documenting key moments in Ghanaian and African history during the 1950s and 1960s.
Hesse worked closely with Dr Nkrumah and recorded events surrounding Ghana’s independence, as well as the wider struggle against colonial rule across Africa. His collection contains more than 1,000 films documenting the period.
Following the 1966 coup that overthrew Nkrumah, the archive remained out of public view for decades.
The documentary follows Hesse as he works against time and deteriorating eyesight to preserve the collection and pass on his legacy to a new generation of filmmakers, including Ghanaian filmmaker Anita Afonu.
🚨| BREAKING: Speed takes a HUGE STEP beyond streaming with his FIRST EVER film as a producer “THE EYES OF GHANA” as its FIRST TRAILER officially drops – The documentary follows Ghanaian cinematographer Chris Hesse as he attempts to SAVE over 1,000 historic films documenting Africa’s fight for INDEPENDENCE in the 1950s and 1960s. https://t.co/bE2H1MeZBg
— Speedy HQ (@IShowSpeedHQ) October 15, 2026
IShowSpeed’s involvement follows his visit to Ghana earlier in 2026, during which he attracted considerable public attention and expressed his connection to the country and its people.
The streamer said he was honoured to help bring Hesse’s work to a wider audience, describing the preservation of the footage as an important contribution to safeguarding Ghana’s history for future generations.
The Eyes of Ghana is scheduled for a special one-night theatrical screening on October 28, 2026, in participating cinemas in the United States. Screening dates for Ghana and the United Kingdom are expected to be announced separately.
The documentary seeks to highlight the historical significance of Hesse’s archive and preserve visual records of Ghana’s independence era for future generations.
With IShowSpeed’s international following and Higher Ground Productions’ involvement, the film could introduce a new generation of viewers to Ghana’s role in Africa’s decolonisation and the importance of preserving the continent’s historical records.
