Can the Ghanaian Movie industry ever catch a break? It seems there is one step forward and 3 steps backwards. One of Ghana’s reputable film schools, Ghallywood African Film Village has allegedly closed down.
The film village which is located off the Tema-Aflao road at Dawa in the Greater Accra Region was established in 2005 by William Awuku Akuffo to train persons interested in filmmaking.
It has, in the past, trained over 3,000 people in videography, film make-up, editing, sound, light, directing, acting, modelling, scriptwriting, among others. Top industry players like Majid Michel, Akumaa Mama Zimbi, Anita Owusu, Kisa Gbekle, among others, are all products of the school.
But investigations by Daily Guide suggests that the school is now almost a ‘white elephant.’
When they visited the premises this weekend to confirm its closure, they reported that there seems to be some iota of truth in the rumours making the rounds.
The facility looked abandoned. There were no film students at the facility. Some parts of the property are also gradually succumbing to the bad weather conditions. While parts of the roof of the school’s summer hut looks almost like it’s been ripped off, grass has also taken over major part of the once beautiful environment. The main entrance of the village has been closed to vehicles but one can walk in on foot.
There were also no security men to talk to. But there were some three men who appeared to be encroaching on the property, cutting down growing trees and picking them for firewood.
One of them who won’t mention his name disclosed that the school is not functioning. However, he mentioned that there is another branch in Accra. He could not indicate where it is located in Accra when he was asked.
Source: Daily Guide