The European Film Festival has returned to Ghana after a five-year break, with this year’s edition focusing on peace, tolerance and inclusion.

The festival was launched in Accra by the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, who says Ghana has no shortage of creative talent but needs more platforms to help young creatives develop their skills and gain exposure.

She believes opportunities that allow emerging filmmakers to interact with other players in the industry can help them build their expertise and take their work further.

“We’re not a short supply of creatives. We’re a short supply of the platforms that’s available to them. And I think that is why when we have these opportunities, we should seize them because it helps you to build your expertise, to see how other people are doing what they are doing and also to meet Ghanaian film producers.”

The Minister also urged young creatives to take advantage of opportunities created through the festival and other platforms available to them.

According to her, Ghana has the opportunity to correct distorted narratives by telling its own stories and presenting a stronger image of the country to international audiences.

EU Ambassador to Ghana, Rune Skinnebach, said the festival is about more than screening films.

He said it is also intended to create opportunities for artists to connect with their European counterparts and gain platforms to take their stories to wider audiences.

“But the festival is more than movies. The festival is about creating a platform for artists, Guinean artists, to be exposed to European artists, but also to get them a platform from which they can continue to tell their amazing stories to the wider audience. So this is why we have these movies tonight and this is why we have the European Film Festival also.”

The festival features film screenings and creative engagements aimed at bringing filmmakers, artists and audiences together.

The 2026 edition is expected to provide opportunities for creative exchanges between Ghanaian and European industry players.