A new flavour of African entertainment is on the rise as Burna Boy and Wizkid made Nigeria proud by bringing home Grammy Awards and leaving a permanent mark for Afrobeats on the international music scene.
While African musicians collaborate with the biggest names in the global music industry, African films and filmmakers are also gaining international acceptance. This time, we have a success story of our very own.
Ghanaian-American Writer and Director, Amartei Armar, is steadily making a name for himself in the global film industry, one movie at a time.
His first release, Vagabonds, instantly gained recognition among industry peers and was nominated for awards worldwide. It won Best Short Film in Italy's "Life After Oil" film festival and Canada's prestigious "Montreal World Film Festival".
His latest release, "I Like It Here", is set to debut at The BlackStar Film Festival in Philadelphia, USA, on August 6.
This festival is recognised by Hollywood's Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and winners automatically qualify to be nominated for the Oscar awards.
Together with producer Ike Yemoh, Armar led an all-Ghanaian cast and crew to create a 15-minute drama that tells the eventful story of a Ghanaian-American youth on his way to catch a flight out of Accra, hoping to leave deep-rooted feelings of cultural displacement behind.
Although most of the film's dialogue is in Ga, film critics from Africa, Europe, and America have had the privilege of pre-screening, empathise with the themes, and respect the high level of craftsmanship.
This level of craftsmanship will pave the way for Ghanaian films to cut across cultures and borders to audiences outside the Diaspora.
"We want to tell realistic, local stories innovatively, at a world-class standard. That is what sets us apart", says Armar.
We are excited to see the outcome of the journey Amartei and his team have embarked on and look forward to cheering with pride as he takes the Ghanaian flag into the halls of Hollywood fame.
Latest Stories
-
NPP’s Kwabena Boateng leading in Ejisu by-election
8 mins -
Dominic Obour: Beware of rented media and socio-political liars
17 mins -
Partnership launched to provide pensions for small-scale farmers
28 mins -
Ejisu by-election: Why would I bribe election officials in public? – asks Kingsley Nyarko
2 hours -
Vinicius scores twice as Real Madrid draw against Bayern in Germany
2 hours -
I’m doing well – Amerado assures fans after stage mishap
3 hours -
EC asks police to start criminal investigation into Ejisu by-election ‘white envelope’ bribery allegation
4 hours -
LPG Marketers Association kicks against NPA’s $80 per metric ton levy on LPG
4 hours -
We need a comprehensive review of Ghana’s financial regulations – Dr Alhassan Andani
4 hours -
Court dismisses injunction against NBA for approving registration of 14 new GM crops
4 hours -
Penalty for companies not filing returns increased to GH¢1k from May 1
5 hours -
Ejisu By-Election: Results so far
5 hours -
Ejisu By-Election: And the winner is…
5 hours -
Dumsor: Businesses could collapse if situation is not resolved – Ghali
6 hours -
Ejisu by-election: NPP will do everything possible to win – Kingsley Nyarko
6 hours