In an interview with Doreen Avio, the ‘Taste of Sin’ actor highlighted that many people are unaware of how to effectively leverage these platforms for their benefit.

He pointed out that YouTube, in particular, is an underutilized platform that holds significant potential for revenue generation.

“YouTube is an untapped space that people are overlooking. Just one of the productions on there has garnered about 29 million views, which shows that African movies are doing well. While bigger platforms like Netflix are also important, we need to start paying attention to YouTube as well,” he remarked.

James Gardiner also noted how Nigerian TV stations are more proactive than Ghanaian ones in selecting and promoting movies from YouTube, often turning them into hits.

He shared that his work in Nigeria has been going well, and he observed that it’s not just Ghana but other countries, especially Nigeria, that quickly pick up these movies from YouTube.

“When a film drops on YouTube, within 20 to 30 minutes, other YouTube platforms—mainly based in Nigeria—start showcasing it, which can sometimes impact the original viewership,” he explained.

James Gardiner however remains optimistic about the future of the Ghanaian movie industry, believing that with a positive mindset and consistency, the industry will thrive.

Source: Adomonline

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Speaking on Daybreak Hitz with Andy Dosty, he explained that producers should avoid thinking about how much media houses and networks are willing to pay them.

“If I’m going to create a project based on how much a network is going to give me, I’m not going to do the work. Because if you are going to pay me a thousand cedis, I’m going to make a thousand cedis worth of creativity work,” he said.

He further advised movie producers to ensure they have the right channels of distribution to enable them recoup their investments they put into movie production.

“So I will do work knowing very well that my channels of distribution are there so that I will get my money back. Don’t expect to produce a movie and receive the same worth of money from any media house in Ghana. It will never work!” 

He was reacting to actor, Mikki Osei Berko’s call for the prosecution of media houses that show international telenovelas at a prime time.

“Do not produce with the idea that they will give you prime time. You have the content, you haven’t bought the prime time. The prime time belongs to the TV station and not the country.”

He also added that If Ghanaian movie producers wanted their content to be aired during prime time, they would have to produce content to match the foreign telenovelas.

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The actress revealed for the first time that her family, especially her mother has never watched any of her movies since she began her career in 2007.

She detailed that her mother has never been interested in any of her movies; those she featured in and the ones she produced herself.

“You know African mothers; they see entertainers as the unserious ones. So since I started she has never watched any of my movies before, not even one. It bothers me but I haven’t had the conversation with her. Even with the movies I produced she has never been at the premiers or watched them before,” she revealed in an interview on Onua FM.

According to her, the situation is that serious that should her movies pop up on any TV channel, she is sure, without a doubt, Madam Margaret Gaddy will change the channel.

Yvonne revealed her mother has interest in other movies, especially soap operas but the situation is not the same for her movies because her mother simply doesn’t believe in her talent.

Even when the 37-year-old actress made a move to have her mother watch her movies together, they did not watch beyond a single scene.

“Even when I get awards, they do not even mind, same with my two siblings. When I was banned in 2010, I was very depressed and wouldn’t even go out of my room and they still did not care. They are simply uninterested”.

Yvonne said she believes her mother’s identity as a preacher is a contributing factor, as well as the erotic roles she plays.

However, she is admonishing those who believe in her talent to gather at the Silverbird Cinema on February 10 to watch her latest self-produced movie, Kotoka.

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Brilliant but reclusive author Loretta Sage (Oscar winner Sandra Bullock) has spent her career writing popular romance-adventure novels about exotic places. Her books’ handsome cover model Alan (People’s Choice winner Channing Tatum) 

has dedicated his life to embodying the hero character, Dash. 

While on tour promoting her new book, Loretta is kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire (People’s Choice winner Daniel Radcliffe), who hopes that she can lead him to the treasure of an ancient lost city from her latest story. 

Wanting to prove that he can be a hero in real life and not just on the pages of her books, Alan sets off to rescue her. Thrust into an epic jungle adventure, the unlikely pair will need to work together to survive the elements and find the ancient treasure before it’s lost forever.

Lost City is currently the 18th-biggest box office hit of 2022 globally. Radcliffe won Best Villain at the 2022 MTV Movie + TV Awards, where Bullock was up for Best Performance and Best Team, with Tatum and two-time Oscar winner Brad Pitt. 

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 | Stream from 27 October

The world’s favorite blue hedgehog is back for a next-level adventure in Sonic The Hedgehog 2, currently the ninth biggest box office hit of 2022 globally. 

After settling in Green Hills, Sonic is eager to prove he has what it takes to be a true hero. His test comes when Dr. Robotnik returns, this time with a new partner, Knuckles, in search of an emerald that has the power to destroy civilizations. Sonic teams up with his own sidekick, Tails, and together they embark on a globe-trotting journey to find the emerald before it falls into the wrong hands. 

For the first film, Jim Carrey won the 2021 Critics Choice Super Award for Best Villain as Dr. Robotnik. Listen out for Idris Elba joining the cast this time as Knuckles. 

VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE | Stream from 31 October

The seventh-biggest box office hit of 2021, Venom: Let There Be Carnage sees Eddie Brock trying to reignite his career by interviewing serial killer Cletus Kasady. Eddie and his extra-terrestrial passenger have their claws full when another symbiote, Carnage, makes itself at home in Cletus. 

Oscar nominees Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Williams and Naomie Harris co-star, with direction from the king of performance capture, Andy Serkis (better known as King Kong, Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, and Caesar in Planet of the Apes). 

“A sequel aimed squarely at fans of the original’s odd couple chemistry, Venom: Let There Be Carnage eagerly embraces the franchise’s sillier side,” says Rotten Tomatoes’ critics’ consensus. 

STREAM NOW

THE SUICIDE SQUAD | Superhero movie

Our only hope to save the world is a bunch of supervillains – what could go wrong?

The 25th-biggest box office hit of 2021 globally, The Suicide Squad was nominated for four Critics Choice Super Award in 2022: Best Superhero Movie, Best Actor (John Cena as Peacemaker and Idris Elba as Bloodsport) and Best Actress (Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn). 

Welcome to hell—a.k.a. Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out—even join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X for a search-and-destroy mission to the island of Corto Maltese. 

The Suicide Squad has a 90% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with The Evening Standard calling it “an epic that’s as adorable as it is violent” in their five star review. 

AFTER WE FELL | Romance

Showmax is now streaming the first three After films, so you can fall all over again for Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes-Tiffin in their Teen Choice winning roles as Tessa and Hardin.

Based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Anna Todd, the third film, After We Fell, picks up with Tessa making the biggest decision of her life, only to find everything changing. Revelations about her family, and then Hardin’s, throw everything they knew before in doubt and makes their hard-won future together even more difficult to claim.

The 16LSDV romance’s cast includes Oscar winner Mira Sorvino (Shining Vale), Teen Choice nominee Arielle Kebbel (9-1-1), BAFTA nominee Chance Perdomo (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), and Louise Lombard (Star Crossed) and Kiana Madeira (Fear Street). 

THE ICE ROAD | Action

After a remote diamond mine collapses in far northern Canada, to save the trapped miners, a big-rig ice road driver must lead an impossible rescue mission over a frozen lake.

As Mike McCann, Liam Neeson was nominated for a 2022 Critics Choice Super Award for Best Actor in an Action Movie. 

Oscar nominee Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix), Amber Midthunder (Prey), Benjamin Walker (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) and Holt McCallany (Mindhunter) co-star. 

NIGHT RAIDERS | Dystopian sci-fi

Set in a dystopian North America in the year 2044, Night Raiders centres on a Cree woman named Niska (multi-award-winner Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers), who joins an underground band of vigilantes in a bid to save her daughter from the military government.

Cree-Métis writer-director Danis Goulet won the Emerging Talent Award at the Toronto International Film Festival for Night Raiders, which is executive produced by Oscar winner Taika Waititi (What We Do In The Shadows). Night Raiders also won six 2022 Canadian Screen Awards, among other accolades.

Emmy winner Amanda Plummer (The Fisher King, Pulp Fiction) and Alex Tarrant (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) co-star. 

Night Raiders has an 84% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with The Globe and Mail saying, “Night Raiders combines genre filmmaking with a fiery through-line of social justice… Both a chilling vision of what’s to come and a nervy reminder of Canada’s past… Night Raiders should become the most talked-about Canadian film of the year. And for good reason.”

ZEROS AND ONES | Thriller

The thriller Zeros and Ones stars four-time Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke (Moon Knight, The Good Lord Bird) as Jericho, an American soldier stationed in post-apocalyptic Rome under a pandemic and war-torn lockdown. After witnessing the Vatican blow up in the night sky, he sets out on a mission to uncover and document the truth for the world to see and stop the true terrorists responsible. 

Controversial independent director Abel Ferrara (Bad Lieutenant, King of New York) won Best Director at the 2021 Locarno International Film Festival, where Zeros and Ones was nominated for Best Film. 

The New York Times says: “Never less than intriguing, Zeros and Ones lingers in the mind. Even after you think you’ve brushed it off, its chilly tendrils continue to cling,” while indieWire says: “Every frame of this weird soup is suffused with the restless creative spirit of someone who’s been waiting for a new world order, and recognises that we only get so many chances to make it happen.”

SNAKE EYES: G.I. JOE ORIGINS | Action

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins stars Teen Choice nominee Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians, The Gentlemen) as Snake Eyes, a tenacious loner who is welcomed into an ancient Japanese clan called the Arashikage, where he finds a home and learns the ways of the ninja warrior. When secrets from his past are revealed, Snake Eyes’s honour and allegiance will be tested. 

Based on Hasbro’s iconic G.I. Joe character, Snake Eyes cast includes Critics Choice Super Award nominee Andrew Koji (Warrior), Samara Weaving (Bill & Ted Face the Music), Úrsula Corberó (Money Heist) and Iko Uwais (The Raid).

Screen Rant proclaimed Snake Eyes “the best G.I. Joe movie yet… the origin story we’ve been waiting for… A wildly entertaining thrill ride.” 

COPSHOP | Action

In Copshop, Frank Grillo (Boss Level, The Grey, Captain America: The Winter Soldier) stars as a wily con artist on the run from a lethal assassin (MTV Movie Award winner Gerard Butler from 300). He devises a scheme to hide out in a small-town police station but when the hitman turns up at the precinct, an unsuspecting rookie cop (Alexis Louder from Watchmen and The Tomorrow War) finds herself caught in the crosshairs.

Copshop is directed by Joe Carnahan (Boss Level, The Grey, The A-Team, Smokin’ Aces), who co-wrote the script from a story by Ozark creator Mark Williams. Also look out for Black Reel winner Chad L Coleman (The Walking Dead’s Tyreese Williams, and Dennis “Cutty” Wise in The Wire) among the cast. 

LA Times praised the film’s “intelligent, precise script” and the “well-staged action and strong performances throughout,” saying, “Butler turns in one of his best, most understated performances — but the star of this show is Louder,” while Hollywood Reporter says, “Copshop is ridiculous on almost every level, but damn if it isn’t a whole lot of fun.”

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GIRL’S TRIP | Stream now

Tiffany Haddish won BET, Black Reel, Image and MTV awards for her breakthrough performance in Girls Trip, about four lifelong friends who travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival, where sisterhoods are rekindled, wild sides are rediscovered, and there’s enough dancing, drinking, brawling and romancing to make the Big Easy blush. Oscar nominee Queen Latifah, People’s Choice nominee Jada Pinkett Smith and multi-award-winner Regina Hall co-star. 

THE BIG SICK | Stream from 20 October

The 10th best romantic movie of all time according to Rotten Tomatoes, The Big Sick follows Pakistan-born comedian Kumail and grad student Emily as they fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family’s expectations, and his true feelings. Based on the real-life romance between star Kumail Nanjiani and writer Emily V. Gordon. 

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME | Stream from 24 October

James Ivory won Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2018 Oscars for Call Me By Your Name, which was also up for Motion Picture of The Year, Best Actor (Timothée Chalamet) and Original Song (Sufjan Stevens). The romance won 95 awards internationally, including the GLAAD award for Best Wide Release Film.  

SEARCHING | Stream from 31 October

After his teenage daughter goes missing, a desperate father tries to find clues on her laptop. Starring John Cho (Harold in Harold & Kumar, Sulu in Star Trek) and Debra Messing (Grace in Will & Grace), Searching won the Best of Next Audience Award and the Albert P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at Sundance, among other festival awards. 

CLASSIC OSCAR CONTENDERS AND #1 BOX OFFICE HITS

The Oscar-winning cult classic Pulp Fiction is still the #8 Top Rated Movie of All Time on IMDb. With a killer cast that includes Samuel L Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Ving Rhames and Uma Thurman, and some of the most quotable lines in movie history, Pulp Fiction cemented Quentin Tarantino’s status as a pop-culture auteur and put John Travolta back on the map.  

Showmax now also offers Tom Cruise in the original Top Gun, which won Best Original Song at the Oscars; Memoirs of a Geisha, which won three Oscars, including Best Cinematography for Australian-South African Dion Beebe; Brad Pitt in the baseball drama Moneyball, which was up for six Oscars; and Mark Wahlberg as a navy seal in Lone Survivor, which was nominated for two Oscars. 

Also look out for #1 box office hits like Spider-Man: No Way Home Twilight and the Spider-Man collection of 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, as well as Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy: Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3; Sing 2; Breaking Dawn Part 1 and 2, with Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson; Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – Fallout and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back; family animations Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 1 and 2; Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu in Charlie’s Angels; Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler in 50 First Dates; Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective; Will Ferrell in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues; Denzel Washington in The Bone Collector; and Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron in Baywatch.

EVERYTHING ON SHOWMAX IN OCTOBER 2022

To see everything on Showmax in October 2022, including the SXSW Cinematography Award winning local horror film Gaia, the Emmy-winning reality series We’re Here S2, and hit international series like The White Lotus S2, Minx, The Rehearsal and P-Valley S2, click here.

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Speaking to Adom TV, following the delivery of the 2022 State of the Nation Address by President Akufo-Addo, Dr Stephen Amoah noted that such movies would be termed as “Ghana Chinese.”

Touting the accomplishment of the incumbent government, he said; “Government has built so many schools, the efforts are unmatched. The schools in Kumasi are 75 per cent complete. Today, if a Ghanaian wants to study film making – we are even going to produce Chinese movies. We call it Ghana Chinese. They will be studying that and we are doing it in Kumasi.

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This former government never did that. They say their are social democrats but haven’t implemented any social policy. We implemented free SHS.”

"We are coming to start Chinese movies in Kumasi, they call it Ghana Chinese"

– Dr. Stephen Amoah [MP, Nhyiaeso] #JoySMS pic.twitter.com/EgF026AbKy

— Joy 99.7 FM (@Joy997FM) April 1, 2022

Some social media users who came across the footage were astounded by the skills of the MP.

Narr he didn’t do this???

Dr. Stephen Amoah, Nhyiaeso MP pic.twitter.com/BkmJZR7DMv

— Daniel Sackitey (@_danielsackitey) March 31, 2022

It’s the Ghana-Chinese movie moves for me. ?shweeaaa, shweeaa????‍♂️

Dr. Stephen Amoah, Nhyiaeso MP

It’s Friday! pic.twitter.com/SWkXPtjDzG

— Israel Laryea (@TheIsraelLaryea) April 1, 2022

According to Sticka Dr. Stephen Amoah the NPP government is helping to bring Kung-Fu in our movie industry specifically Kumawood.
???????? pic.twitter.com/H70RaOzLof

— KoBLa AgUDze (@TONYdeBOSS) March 31, 2022

In an interview with KMJ on Joy Prime’s Showbiz Now, she said that she will continue to fund her projects and hope the industry gets the needed boost it deserves.

“I am not waiting for anyone to come and save me. I fund my own movies and so far so good. I break even and I make profit. We are happy with the introduction of Netflix, Amazon Prime, and online platforms, it will get better,” Yvonne Nelson said.

Among other things, she said the industry needs more distribution structures in addition to the new streaming platforms that are helping in the promotion of Ghanaian films.

Yvonne Nelson added that the industry needs more cinema halls as well as new actors that can act to flood the industry.

“When you are casting, you know you have casted all of them and now you are looking for new faces. But, you can’t find new faces who can actually act,” she said.

The actress made the comments while promoting her new film, The Men We Love, from her production house YN Productions.

Explaining the vision for the film in an interview with KMJ on Showbiz Now, on Wednesday, she said that, “I just wanted to talk about the set of men in our society that we pay more attention to and love so much.”

Yvonne Nelson called on the public to make an appearance at the Silverbird Cinema at the Accra Mall on Valentine’s Day to experience the film put together.

The Men We Love stars Majid Michel who has not been in a film for a while. Miss Nelson said she missed him and knew the fans did too so she worked to get him on board.

It also stars Diamon Michelle (Michy) whom Nelson believes would “blow fans’ minds” with her acting skills, James Gardiner, Kofi Adjorlolo, veteran Eunice Banini, Tiktoker Jackeline Mensah, Angela Banford and many others.

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Speaking on Adom TV’s ‘Ahosepe Xtra’, he stated that Ghanaians hardly go to the cinema to watch movies as they see it to be for a particular group of people who do so.

“We don’t have cinema culture here in Ghana. It is not common for someone to go to the movies with his or her partner, friend, or sibling. This is seen as it is meant for a particular group of people to go to the movies,” he said.

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According to him, Nigerians have more interest in watching movies and in appreciating the movie industry as compared to Ghanaians.

“Let’s take a country like Nigeria for instance, not to disrespect, but for them, anybody can go out with the partner, friend, mother or sibling to the cinema. They don’t see it as you need to have money or belong to a certain kind of group before sending them to the cinema,” Mr. Gardiner noted.

He urged the leaders and producers in the movie sector to make the movies produced more attractive and affordable for the people in the country so that they will be able to patronize them at ease.

“If you’re painting a picture to someone and you make it look like this is something huge, it will be those who are prominent that will show up. But if you make it look like anyone at all can go to the cinema to watch movies, more people will attend,” he stressed.

The 50-year-old says she was a musician before venturing into acting.

“Yes I do sing, I was a musician before entering into acting. I have two recorded albums,” she told JoyNews.

However, music remains her first love because that was the talent God gave her, she believes.

The Kumawood household name has been in the movie industry for the past 25 years.

Speaking on E Vibes, the actress said she is concentrating on the acting and will definitely go back into the booth.

“I haven’t stopped music, I’m just concentrating on the acting and yes I will surely go back to music,” she said adding that “my favourite Musician is Esther Nyamekye and Diana Hamilton.”

Mercy Asiedu also told Becky that she looked up to Grace Nartey and Psalm Adjeteyfio when it came to acting.

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“They were my role models back then,” she added.

Born on May 9, 1971, the versatile actress has stared in hundreds of movies over her career.

Some of them are ‘Obaakofou’, ‘Sumsum’, ‘Aware’, ‘Kakra Yebedie’, ‘Agya Koo Trotro’, ‘Ghana Yonko’, ‘Emma Dodo Kunu’, Divine Prayer, Obi Yaa, Sama Te fie, and Old Soldier.

The popular ‘Asoreba’ movie introduced her to movie lovers across the country and she has become arguably one of the most successful Kumawood actresses in Ghana.

She began acting when she was a teenager, as part of the Kristo Asafo Concert Party group.

She is known for the controversial roles she has played in movies.

E-Vibes is a weekly programme that delves into the background of the country’s celebrated personalities who are doing tremendous work in their chosen field of work cutting across sectors.

Yet that film is only one example of a recurring theme in movies associated with such an outbreak, a longtime staple of science fiction that has always been informed by science fact.

Not surprisingly, the Hollywood version of global pandemics has frequently spiraled off in fantastic directions, birthing armies of zombies in movies like “The Omega Man,” “World War Z” and “Pandemic.”

A fatal virus turns humans into something feral in “World War Z.”

More sober stories, however, have tapped into the notion of mankind being threatened with annihilation not by nuclear weapons (a favourite topic in the 1950s and ’60s) but a microbial killer.

Early examples include the 1971 thriller “The Andromeda Strain” — adapted from a book by the prescient author Michael Crichton, who repeatedly returned to concepts (see “Westworld” and “Jurassic Park”) in which scientific and technological breakthroughs created existential threats to humankind.

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The juxtaposition of those impulses within the genre can be seen in two movies released in 1995: “12 Monkeys,” a science-fiction plot about using time travel to try to thwart a nascent plague that will wipe out most of humanity; and “Outbreak,” a more grounded premise in which an airborne virus gets inadvertently smuggled into the US from Africa, requiring a team of doctors (led by Dustin Hoffman) to race against time trying to save a town where the infection is spreading.

Nor have screen versions of these stories been confined to fiction. Just last year, the National Geographic network aired “The Hot Zone,” a fact-based account about the emergence of Ebola virus in 1989, and Army scientists reacting to potential exposure in the suburbs of Washington DC, via imported monkeys.

James Olson, left, and Arthur Hill walk in protective suits in a scene from the 1971 film, “The Andromeda Strain.”

‘Contagion’ best fits the brewing danger

For all those examples, “Contagion” correlates most directly with the current danger, beginning as it does with a woman (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) who returns to Minnesota with a strange illness after a trip to Hong Kong.

In a matter of days, she’s dead, leaving her husband (Matt Damon) in a state of shock, before others begin exhibiting the same symptoms, as the outbreak spreads across the world.

Directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Scott Z. Burns, the movie offers an alarming glimpse at a worst-case scenario. Rumors and panic begin to spread, and the guardrails quickly start to come off society as the days click by, amid quarantines, looting and chilling scenes of vacant airports.

Watching the movie again, what stands out — beyond an inordinately good cast that includes Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard and Bryan Cranston — is how difficult it is to convey the global sweep of such a story without sacrificing something in terms of the drama.

Specifically, “Contagion” scatters its attention among so many characters — including victims and those desperately working to find a vaccine — that it suffers in stoking an attachment to any one of them.

Buried within the film, though, is a stark warning that feels even timelier today, subtly conveying how one misguided policy decision or thoughtless action can have a devastating domino effect, sowing the seeds of destruction in a vast, interconnected world.

At the time of the movie’s release, Laurie Garrett, a consultant on the film who wrote the book “The Coming Plague,” stated that the plot is “part fantasy, part reality and totally possible.”

In that sense, “Contagion” is well worth seeing — or seeing again — as a reminder that some of the scariest stories don’t involve supernatural threats, but those that hew most closely to reality.

Kumawood actor, Akwasi Boadi, known as Akrobeto has said that no amount of prayers from the founder and leader of the International God’s Way Church, ‘Angel’ Bishop Daniel Obinim can save the dying Kumawood movie industry.

According to him, if the Creative Arts Ministry and industry players fail to adapt to the modern day advances in technology, then the movie industry will continue to fall behind time.

Some faceless movie producers were reportedly mentioned as having visited Bishop Obinim in Kumasi with the aim of seeking help to revive the decline in the patronage of local movies.

SEE ALSO: VIDEO: Obrafour releases music video of ‘Moesha’ song featuring Sarkodie

Meanwhile, Akrobeto, speaking on Adom FM’s Entertainment Hall insisted that reviving the movie industry is about emulating the western culture and not seeking favours from pastors.

“If the work has declined, we have to be creative and adapt to the new trend. CDs are dead now pen drives are on top. The system is changing so we have to change. Spirits can’t affect the movie industry. Prayers can’t save us. You can go to Obinim it doesn’t matter…” he said.

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Akrobeto continued that: “we have to plan something to move our industry forward. We don’t have the same mind. We have to make sure to move things in its better form. It’s not about prayers.

1. Ayo Makun (A Trip To Jamaica)
2. Richard Asante (Amakye & Dde)
3. Majid Michel (Amakye & Dede)

 
GOLDEN ACTOR (DRAMA)
NOMINEES             

1. C Ukeye (Catch.ER)
2. Eddie Watson (3 Is A Crowd)
3. Chris Okagbue (Lotanna)
4. Sambasa Nzeribe (Slow Country)
5. Enyinna Nwigwe (Hire A Man)
6. Femi Jacob (Just Married)

GOLDEN ACTOR (SERIES)
 NOMINEES

1. Jordan Adgualor (The Idiot And I)
2. Adjetey Annang (Table Of Men)
3. Lirotha Mcdonald (Samba)
4. James Gadner (Everyday People)
5. John Peasah (Yolo)
6. Kweku Elliot (Everyday People)

GOLDEN ACTRESS (COMEDY)
  NOMINEES

1. Priscilla Agyeman (Amakye & Dede)
2. Funke Akindele (Trip To Jamaica)
3. Zynell Zuh ( Hire A Man )
4. Lydia Forson (Keteke)

GOLDEN ACTRESS ( DRAMA )
NOMINEES

1. Kalsum Sinare (Sala)
2. Beverly Naya (Catch.ER)
3. Ivie Okujaye (Slow Country)
4. Adesua Etomi (Ayama)
5. Zynell Zuh (Just Married)

GOLDEN ACTRESS (SERIES)
NOMINEES

1. Naa Ashorkor (Table Of Men)
2. Ade Kelly (Samba)
3. Judith Asante (Sunshine Avenue)
4. Gloria Sarfo (Living With Trisha)
5. Ivy Adjima (Yolo)
6. Jessica Williams (Table Of Men)

GOLDEN ART DIRECTOR
NOMINEES

1. Toca Macbaror (Lotanna)
2. Quist & Twedie (Keteke)
3. Behind The Wheels
4. Slow Country

GOLDEN CENIMATOGRAPHY
NOMINEES

1. Kelly Doe (Keteke)
2. Kelly Doe (Amakye & Dede)
3. Robert Peter (A Trip To Jamaica)
4. Toca Macbaror (Lotanna)
5. Tom Robson (3 Is A Crowd)

GOLDEN COSTUMIER
NOMINEES

1. Samba
2. 3 Is A Crowd
3. Lotanna
4. Keteke

GOLDEN DIRECTOR
NOMINEES

1. Toca Macbaror (Lotanna)
2. Desmond Elliot (3 Is A Crowd)
3. Kobi Rana (Sala)
4. Robert Peter (A Trip To Jamaica)
5. Kofi Asamoah (Amakye & Dede)

 
GOLDEN DISCOVERY ACTOR/ACTRESS
NOMINEES

1. Hauwa Allahbura (3 Is A Crowd)
2. Emman Sinare (Sala)
3. Nancy Isime (Hire A Man)
4. Jessica Larny (Everyday People)
5. Paula Obaseke (Reverse)

GOLDEN EDITOR
NOMINEES

1. Laurenne Abdullah & Peter Sedufia (Keteke)
2. Toca Macbaror (Lotanna)
3. Tunde & Patrick (A Trip To Jamaica)
4. Afra Marley & Peter (Sala)
5. Kofi Asamoah (Amakye & Dede)

 
GOLDEN INDIGENOUS
NOMINEES

1. Utopia
2. Daggers Of Life
3. Perfect Love

GOLDEN MAKEUP
NOMIEES

1. Sala
2. Lotanna
3. Slow Country
4. Ayama
5. Trip To Jamaica

GOLDEN MAKEUP ARTIST
NOMINEES

1. Emeka Lam (Lotanna)
2. Sandra & Hakim (Slow Country)
3. Sandra (Amakye & Dede)
4. Divine Page (Trip To Jamaica)

 
 
GOLDEN MOST PROMIMISING ACTOR/ACTRESS
NOMINEES

1. Hauwa Allahbura (3 Is A Crowd)
2. Emman Sinare (Sala)
3. Nancy Isime (Hire A Man)
4. Jessica Williams (The Devil Between My Legs)
5. Jessica Larny (Everyday People)

GOLDEN MOVIE COMEDY
NOMINEES

1. Keteke
2. Amakye & Dede
3. A Trip To Jamaica
4. Hire A Man

GOLDEN MOVIE
NOMINEES

1. (3 Is A Crowd)
2. Sala
3. Lotanna
4. A Trip To Jamaica
5. Ayamma

GOLDEN SHORT FILM
NOMINEES

1. Ivieme
2. Running
3. Bitter Sweet Wine
4. Dabara
5. Broken

GOLDEN SOUND
NOMINEES

1. Lotanna
2. Trip To Jamaica
3. Sala
4. Keteke

 
 
GLODEN STORY (DRAMA)
NOMINEES

1. ER
2. Sala
3. (3 Is A Crowd)
4. Slow Country

 GOLDEN SUPPORTING ACTOR (COMEDY)
NOMINEES

1. Majid Michel (Amakye & Dede)
2. Ike Ogbona (Hire A Man)
3. Dan Davies (A Trip To Jamaica)
4. John Dumelo (Amakye & Dede)

GOLDEN SUPPORTING ACTOR ( DRAMA )
NOMINEES

1. Victor Deker (Lotanna)
2. Fred Amugi (Sala)
3. Desmond Elliot (3 Is A Crowd)
4. Wale Ojo ( Ayama)
5. Blossom Chukwujekwu (Catch.ER)

 
GOLDEN SUPPORTING ACTRESS ( COMEDY )
NOMINEES

1. Nse Ikpe Etim (Trip To Jamaica)
2. Shaffy Bello (Hire A Man)
3. Roslyn Ngissah (Amakye & Dede)
4. Nancy Isime (Hire A Man)

GOLDEN SUPPORTING ACTRESS ( DRAMA )
NOMINEES

1. Emman Sinare (Sala)
2. Liz Benson (3 Is A Crowd)
3. Hauwa Allahbura (Reverse)
4. Jackie Appiah (Sala)

 
 
GOLDEN TV SERIES
NOMINEES

1. Samba
2. Table Of Men
3. Sunshine Avenue
4. Yolo
5. The Idiot And I

 
GOLDEN WRITER COMEDY
NOMINEES

1. Peter Sedufia (Keteke)
2. Ayo Makun (Trip To Jamaica)
3. Kofi Asamoh (Amakye & Dede)
4. Writers Ink (Hire A Man)

GOLDEN WRITER DRAMA
NOMINEES

1. Koby Rana (Sala)
2. Tunde Apalawo (Catcher.ER)
3. 3 Kemi Adesoye (Lotanna)
4. Vivien Chiji (3 Is A Crowd)
5. Vivien Chiji (Ayama)

Questions were raised over the striking similarities of the film’s concept and script to the award-winning South African film, ‘Skeem’ – which was directed by Tim Greene.

In response to concerns of a possible copyright infringement, Kofi Asamoah rebuffed all questions of he copying the ‘Skeem’ movie and even went ahead to state that he got the blessing of Tim Greene to shoot the Ghanaian version, ‘John & John’.

Speaking on GhOne TV’s ‘Pundits’ show a couple of months ago which was monitored by www.entertainmentgh.com, Kofi Asamoah stated emphatically that, he sought permission from Tim Greene to shoot his Ghanaian version when the two met at a film festival in South Africa.

However, in a bizarre twist to the story, Tim Greene, has come out to rubbish the claims of the Ghanaian producer, stating that, he does not know the Ghanaian and have not met him before.

In a social media post, Tim Greene, addressed the issue, calling ‘John & John’ a rip-of his original work, ‘Skeem’.

He wrote:

“This is insane! Turns out Ghana’s biggest movie this year is a word-for-word rip-off of our movie ‘Skeem.”

When www.entertainmentgh.com inquired if he had reached out to Kofi Asamoah, he responded that, his team had sent Kofas Media a letter to inform them of the infringement but they are yet to get a response.

The trailers of ‘Skeem’ and ‘John & John’;

Mr. Douri Bennin Haji, who speaks for the family, urged movie producers to be circumspect and not venture into any production of the unfortunate incident to hurt the family more.

Major Maxwell Adams Mahama died on Monday, May 29, after he was beaten, stoned and burnt by residents of Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region who mistook him for an armed robber because he carried a weapon while doing his usual early morning physical exercise.

He was promoted posthumously to the rank of a Major by President Nana Akufo-Addo.

Speaking in an interview with Franky 5 on the ‘This is Gospel’ show on Hitz FM, Mr Haji, who is an uncle to the fallen officer, noted while the family is grateful that there is a reduction in the circulation of pictures and videos of the incident, movie producers should not compound their pain by enacting it.

He commended the National Media Commission for controlling the circulating of visuals of the lynching and appealed to Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Catherine Afeku, to ensure movie directors and producers do not enact the circumstances that led to the murder.

“The rate at which the pictures and things were being flashed in the media, has reduced drastically and so, we will want to urge the media to continue on that path,” he said.

Mr Haji added that, “it’s not only the pictures, but you know in Ghana, when things like this happen, you’ll wake up one morning to hear that there are movies – part one up to part ten – and we just want to continue to appeal especially to the Minister for Creative Arts to extend some guidelines to the movie producers and directors.”

To explain further, he stated that; “Remember the late Major has also left behind very young kids and if we wake up one morning and we have movies part one up to ten, the children will come across these things, the family will come across it and it will continue to hurt us.”

“We’re not saying that people should not discuss it at all but coming out with movies and horrific videos of what happened to our Major will not be in good taste. So, through your medium and also to the Minister for Creative Arts, I think she should hold a meeting with the movie producers so that we can move forward,” the family spokesperson concluded.

According to the actor, who is now based in the US, there is no excitement and enthusiasm in movie industry today. He gave the remarks in an interview Daybreak Hitz on Hitz FM with KMJ.

He said: “It is sad and unfortunate when individuals in the industry refuse or [deny] when it comes to issues like this in Ghana, I have been in the industry for over a decade so when I say the industry is dying or the enthusiasm and the excitement in the industry is no more, it’s true. Some of us have been talking about this and we were attacked…I personally don’t have a problem.”

“I am talking about the future of the industry because left to me, the least I can do is to probably produce, I shouldn’t be complaining, the bottom line is a whole lot of things going on that is not making the industry grow, that is why I decided to add my voice,” he said.

Prince David Osei further explained that, “Things are going wrong which others don’t want to accept, people are struggling. Opera Square used to be the Hollywood of Ghana movies but now big-time producers are selling electrical gadgets because the place is out of business.

The actor added that, there are no sponsors in the industry, giving an example that Ecobank Nigeria sponsors their movie industry, “I don’t know why they don’t sponsor the movie industry [here].”

Majority of the people who watch telenovelas, according to him, have been brainwashed and introduced to adultery. He urged that Ghanaians need to help grow the industry and keep it vibrant.

Disney CEO Bob Iger told ABC employees about the demand at a town hall meeting on Monday, The Hollywood Reporter said.

He did not name the film, but Deadline reports that it is Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

Mr Iger said Disney is refusing to pay, and that the studio is working with federal investigators.

He added that the hackers had demanded the ransom in bitcoin and that they would release the film online in a series of 20-minute chunks unless it was paid.

It is not the first film studio to be threatened with online leaks.

Last month, a group of hackers uploaded the fifth season of Orange is the New Black after Netflix refused to pay a ransom.

Dead Men Tell No Tales is the fifth instalment of the Pirates franchise and will see Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow return to the ocean alongside Geoffrey Rush and Orlando Bloom.

It is due to be released in cinemas in the US on 26 May.

Mark James, security specialist at IT security company ESET, said: “Anything that has a value will always be a potential victim of theft, either digital or physical. If someone has it and someone wants it then, in theory, there’s a market for it.”

—————————————————–

Analysis – Zoe Kleinman, BBC News technology reporter

It’s not clear how the hackers got hold of this material – did they manage to breach Disney’s hopefully robust IT security framework or was it a result of human error?

Either way, the ransom tactic is popular among cyber criminals – just as we have seen with the recent ransomware attack which caused havoc around the world.

The sad fact is that it’s easy money for them. People often choose to pay simply because they just want their data back, whether it’s a blockbuster movie or those irreplaceable family photos. These days our digital possessions are the new family silver.

However, there is no guarantee, even if you do give in to the demand, that the criminals will keep their side of the bargain (they are criminals after all), or that you won’t end up on a list of easy targets and be hit again.

Flex newspaper in an exclusive interview with Ghanaian actress Ellen White concerning the rate at which some actress have sex with producers and directors for roles in our music industry, she said ‘’ladies who do that are cheap.

Speaking on sex scandal ladies go through, she said, ‘’people assess you the way you carry yourself. Nobody has proposed to me yet in the music industry and I don’t think anybody can all because of how I relate with them. Not to say I am the bossy type but I see everyone as a friend. Though when we meet on set is likely for the men to propose but everything depends on the lady whether to accept or reject. It’s an individual decision. Ladies who do that does that because it’s their character and not an act all ladies go through in the movie industry. If the person has that character, automatically she will take it everywhere she goes that doesn’t mean we are all like that. We don’t do that. I haven’t encountered any of these scandals.

‘’Ladies who open their legs for movie roles are cheap. They should stop because it is tarnishing their image. Stars don’t struggle to shine so if you struggle to become a star, definitely you will fall. It won’t help them in anyway’’ she told flex newspaper.

When asked about her toughest time in the industry, she said ’’So far I haven’t gone through tough times yet but I think the backbiting in the industry is too much. Normally they say am not friendly but that is not who I am, when you get close to me you will know the kind of person I am. Ellen White is the reserve type and not an extrovert. I open up to everyone who comes to me’’.

She added, ‘’I have never done anything in the movie industry that I have regretted and I will never go through such things especially giving myself out to the producers and directors for a role’’.

Ellen White premiered her fifth produced movie, ‘The List’ at the West Hills Mall last week Friday, 5th May.

When asked how much she spent on production, she said ‘’I paid all the actors and actresses who played a role in the movie. I really spent much on this movie but I can’t disclose the amount used’’.

My production has been there for five years now. I have produced four movies so far and the new one is my fifth movie. I have produced: Meyefo, revelation, fault, medofo pa and now ‘the list’ she told flex newspaper.

Uche Jombo Rodriguez has explained why she accepted the script for a forthcoming comic-movie starring Mercy Johnson, Francis Odega, Jide Kosoko and Cossy Orjiakor.

Speaking with Pulse, Uche Jombo said: “When I first read the script, I thought of how unique police barracks really were and couldn’t wait to really see that in pictures. That is the good thing about acting. You have the opportunity of stepping into different roles to learn how people live in other neighbourhoods”.

Continuing, the actress said: “Kondo Game is a feel-good movie. It is a story filled with humour, suspense and thriller about two police officers and their families.”

Uche Jombo finds herself in the Nigerian police barracks as the wife of a police officer and a barrack tenant in the new comedy movie, Kondo Game.

Starring alongside her neighbour and gossip partner, Mercy Johnson, both women share similar fates that would see them being pregnant and jobless at the same time.

With husbands, Austin and Vincent played by Francis Odega and Funnybone, and a sloppy boss, Jide Kosoko, to contend with, the hubbies are locked in between crime busting and bursting a romantic fling with a voluptuous mistress, played by Cossy Orjiakor, who runs a beer parlour in the neighbourhood.