The inquest into the apparent collapse of the Ghanaian movie industry, particularly the once vibrant Kumawood industry is a subject that divides opinions.
According to industry players, a number of factors have contributed to this unfortunate turn of events from Kumawood’s inability to transition from the analogue way of doing things to digitization.
This assertion has been reiterated by actor and movie producer Bill Asamoah, who appeared as a guest on UTV’s United ShowBiz hosted by Nana Ama McBrown.
According to Bill, the blame for the apparent collapse of the Kumawood movie industry should be laid squarely at the feet of movie producers and marketers who were not proactive enough to change with the times when the world was moving from analogue to digital.
He said, among other things, that when the world went digital, Kumawood couldn’t keep up, and marketers and producers who used to invest in the industry looked elsewhere.
Bill said the advent of mobile phones, internet, online streaming, free to air channels and digiboxes all contributed to the unfortunate state the movie industry finds itself in.
On his part, Kwaku Manu who was also a guest on the show blamed leadership (producers) for showing favoritism on set, another reason he believes contributed to the sorry state the movie industry is in. He said many producers on set could not rebuke certain actors because of the rapport they have with them but were quick to condemn other people on same issues, thereby creating enmity between actors.
Adding her voice to the subject, Vivian Jill Lawrence said it got to a time when movies produced from Kumawood had terrible storylines that it became difficult for people to relate to the movies. She said producers were in such a hurry to produce tons of movies in less than a month, thereby churning out inferior productions.
Akrobeto, however, said the persistent dumsor that the country experienced a few years ago was the reason why the industry collapsed.
