The National Film Authority (NFA) of Ghana, in line with its cinema agenda, has signed a strategic deal with Vox Cinema, the largest cinema investor in the Middle East, to distribute and show Ghanaian films in cinemas in the Middle East.

In partnership with the Meta Film Festival, the National Film Authority and Vox cinemas will premiere the movies from 27 to 29 of October at the Nakeel Mall in Dubai.

The grand VIP premiere will take place at the same venue on November 3rd, 2022, to open the cinema run of the three films in the UAE. 

The initial screenings will happen in Dubai and Saudi Arabia, with the onboarding of other countries in the Middle East to follow as the opportunity grows. 

The three films, Single Not Searching, Terminus, and Borga, are the first set of Ghanaian movies to be premiered in Vox Cinemas through the NFA.

As part of this partnership with Vox, a successful run of the three films will open the door for other Ghanaian films across the region, as well as open the door for other African countries, since this is the first time that such a deal is happening for the continent and between the two regions. 

Owned and operated by Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas, Vox Cinemas is the cinema arm of Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, community, retail, and leisure pioneer across the Middle East. Vox is the most innovative and customer-focused exhibitor and the fastest-growing cinema business in the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA region).

Vox Cinemas owns about 600 screens across 57 locations in different countries in the MENA region, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.

This is the first time Vox Cinema will be distributing and exhibiting films from any African country. Ghana is the first to secure the deal for three Ghanaian films to open the doors for the sector to bring in the needed revenue and employment.

The deal was brokered between the CEO of the National Film Authority, Juliet Asante, and Toni El Massih, the Managing Director of Vox Cinema.

Distribution remains the largest gap in the film ecosystem in Ghana, and the partnership between NFA and Vox Cinema opens the door for Ghanaian filmmakers to find new audiences and opportunities outside of Ghana. 

This collaboration is in line with NFA's Cinema agenda, which seeks to strategically expand the distribution and exhibition options for Ghanaian filmmakers both locally and internationally. Cinema continues to be the most viable form of worldwide film distribution.

The Authority is confident that this leap is the beginning of a bigger agenda to attract more film investment and co-productions into Ghana, to help brand Ghana, to help create jobs in Ghana through film, and to sell Ghana as a tourist destination using film.

Film tourism is one of the most important channels countries have used to help meet their tourism goals. 

NFA is also optimistic that this deal will impact directly the production values coming out of Ghana as only films that meet the required standards for Cinema exhibitions will be selected.

The NFA says it will continue to guide filmmakers on how to meet the requirements to screen their works in cinemas globally as it continues to work to open up distribution and exhibition opportunities for Ghanaian filmmakers globally.