Film Producers' Association of Ghana ... or so.

Christ! FIPAG! These people never stop! I received a couple of emails about these group of people endangering investment in Ghana based on sheer greed! So called filmmakers (and I use that term very very lightly) threatening to seize the camera of fellow filmmakers. That's a taboo!

FIPAG can only control their members, not outsiders. Once you have permit from the state, you have done your due diligence ad you should be allowed freedom to work. If you hire any member of the unions, then you have to make your production a signatory. You must pay the unions and this money goes towards the union members' health insurance, pension and health etc.

FIPAG, out of greed stops these productions because they want money. They want bribes, and at the end of the year, they share the money among themselves.

I do not want to think the ministry that handles the film industry is a mere figure-head. Because there doesn't seem to be any form of regulation in the industry. I do know that, the mentality in Ghana is one that blacklists anyone who sets out to create change. But really, FIPAG must be stopped or at the very least, educated.

I'm not averse to their existence. There should be a union for those who want to join. But such union should benefit all the members. At a panel at Golden Tulip, some really ignorant young lady pretty much called me out in the face of this FIPAG issue. I later found out she was/is some actress of sorts. She thinks "I should go back to America, if I do not like FIPAG or Opera Square". A sentiment that oozes cowardice and ignorance. Dare I say, I left, I went to America and the very first film I made there, is a best seller, sitting comfortably among other best selling films, on front shelves, in major retail outlets.

And then There was You. A Leila Djansi film. at Target.

FIPAG, Opera square were good for a period, in a certain dispensation. Not anymore. Like a phone of the past. Until these organizations change their policies to embrace, to protect and to indulge the larger filmmaking community, they are of no use. They make films on 10,000 dollars, others make films on 100,000 dollars. The same rules cannot apply to both. If you sell your 10,000 film at 7ghc, good for you, but I can't sell my 100,000 film at 7ghc. The scales will not be balanced. In proper film industries, high budget films sell for 19,99, medium budget films sell for 14.99 and low budget films sell for 9.99. EDUCATION.

To be quite candid, any person who has a work permit from the state, and is harassed by FIPAG should bring a lawsuit against them for causing financial loss.  Gosh, it will be a landmark case! It will be fun! I'd so like to see this happen.

If FIPAG really wants money, they should restructure and do things the right way. Anyone, any production that shoots a film in Ghana should be charged a fee if they use any member of the Actors Guild or any of the other guilds. They stand to make more money that way.

At the end of the day, these folks will only succeed in driving foreign productions out of the country, prevent crew from learning and ultimately bring the already dead industry to a complete standstill.

Nigerian filmmakers have partnered with the Colorado Film School to train them in various aspects of filmmaking. President of FIPAG, these are the things you should be doing! Not hustling for meager 2000ghc and co. It's a damn shame!

In a time like this when the world has pretty much ganged up against Africa in the face of this Ebola crises, you'd think Africans will be thinking progressive thoughts. It ain't about making fancy movies for folks to know we have nice buildings in Africa. It's about building a formidable industry which will be an economic asset to the nation, to the continent. China, when they got wealthy, the world paid attention. Hollywood is currently taking money from China to make films, relying on Chinese box office for their films. Who'dathought?

As usual, I talk too damn much, I need to stfu.