The Foundation of Concerned Arts Professionals is raising concern about the lack of transparency in the renaming of the Ghana film industry by the National Film Authority (NFA).

The NFA announced the new name, Black Star Films, on Friday, 10 December 2021.

This follows a year of putting some selected names together for the industry.

Out of the over 400 names presented, the Brand Name Committee chaired by Professor Audrey Gadzekpo narrowed the list down to 10.

The public was then asked by the NFA to select 1 out of the 10 names.

The NFA settled on the name with the most votes.

At a ceremony to announce the new name held in Accra, the Brand Name Committee Chair said: "We took into consideration the popular votes".

"We were faithful to the popular votes and we determined that we would only have a problem with the popular votes if the name is being used elsewhere or there are some other things that will compromise the name.”

FOCAP, however, said in a statement dated 10 December 2021, signed by its president Kojo Preko Dankwa, that the renaming process lacked transparency.

Read the full statement below:          

The Foundation of Concerned Arts Professionals (FOCAP) is questioning the National Film Authority’s transparency in the naming of the movie industry. 

FOCAP believes that the direction taken by the current board members, board chairman, and its executive secretary has not served the movie industry with transparency, objectivity, and all-inclusiveness, to say the least. 

FOCAP is of the view that the National Film Authority, together with its board chairman, Mr David Dontoh, has not proven to lead the Authority by the principles and procedures of Act 935, which stipulate the functions of the Authority. 

FOCAP recalls that on the 16th of March 2021, a petition was sent to the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture by some board members who were disappointed with the rate at which the board chairman, Mr David Dontoh, and executive secretary Juliet Asante, disregarded the provisions of Act 935 (Development and Classification of Film).

The petition raised a pertinent issue of how the executive secretary formed a committee to seek a nickname for the industry without any notification of the board for consideration and approval.

The minister, according to reports, did not heed the resolutions of the petition; and the executive secretary had, with impunity, disregarded the Act and gone ahead to rename the film industry BLACK STAR FILM. 

Act 935, 36 (1)(b), which spells out the functions of the executive secretary, states categorically that: ‘The Executive Secretary shall perform any other functions determined by the board’ and 36. (A) says: ‘The Executive Secretary is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Authority and is answerable to the board in the performance of the functions under the Act’.

FOCAP believes none of the above was done and it is very regrettable. 

Act 935, FOCAP can confirm, has already defined a name for the film industry in Ghana. 

The Act recognises GHANA FILM INDUSTRY (GFI). 

Page 3 of the Act states: ‘An Act to provide the legal framework for the production, regulation, nurturing and development of the GHANA FILM INDUSTRY (GIF) and for the distribution, exhibition, and marketing of the film and for related matters’. 

FOCAP believes the new name given by the ‘so-called’ Ghanaians is basically to showcase someone as hardworking in a rather pretentious and assumptive way, as if we need, at all cost, a brand for the movie industry.

FOCAP has taken note of the acts of undermining coupled with the inefficiencies and unlawful ways that the leadership is working within the Authority and, as a result, ultimately hurting the industry as a whole, as a result of personality infighting, showmanship, and disrespect for the Act of parliament. 

We are asking Ghanaians to reject the so-called name currently given to the film industry.

If a name proposed by one Mr Richard Boateng, once upon a time, was aborted without going through the process, why should one accept the above which contradicts the Act of parliament?

We call on stakeholders in the film industry to actively kick against these current happenings and put the decisions of the board ahead of any individual’s decisions.