Mark Okraku-Mantey

Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mark Okraku-Mantey, has reacted to the latest brouhaha by some industry players after the brand name of Ghana’s film industry was renamed as Black Star Films.

According to him, he is aware the decision has not been well accepted by some bigwigs in the entertainment sphere, hence the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr Awal Mohammed, is looking out for a review.

In a Tweet on Friday, December 10, 2021, Mr Okraku-Mantey assured those affected to not worry, adding that, “the matter will be resolved”.

Min. of Tourism, Arts & Culture, led by Hon. Dr. Awal Mohammed has taken note of growing concerns among some industry players over the selection of a brand name for our film industry. On Dec. 8, NFA through committee selection & public voting settled on ‘Black Star Films’.

I’m aware the outcome has divided opinions within the industry with calls for a review of the selection. I want to assure the sector that the matter is before the able Hon. Dr. Awal Mohammed, and as a listening government, the matter will be resolved…

Let’s all remain calm as we look forward to an engagement with the National Film Authority (NFA) and all concerned stakeholders in the coming days. Thank you, Mark wrote on Twitter.

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Meanwhile, at a ceremony held on Wednesday, December 8, 2021, by the NFA, ‘Black Star Films’ was announced as the name for the industry.

This comes after over a year of putting together a process for choosing the brand name.

In 2020, the National Film Authority asked the public to submit names they believe can best represent the Ghanaian Film Industry and over 400 names were received by the NFA which were eventually narrowed down to 10 by the Brand Name Committee chaired by Professor Audrey Gadzekpo.