Tyler Perry’s latest movie did not only gain traction in Hollywood; it had a global wave that swept through Ghana as well.

A lot of Ghanaian movie lovers, critics and film buffs, took to their various media platforms to either pass commentary or analyse the movie when it was released. 

While a lot of people found ‘Straw’ as a movie with a storyline that touches on the many issues that single parents go through, others described it as one of Tyler’s usual wanton love for over-sensationalism. 

Speaking to Doreen Avio on Hitz FM’s lifestyle and entertainment morning show, Daybreak Hitz, film producer and director Shirley Frimpong-Manso vented her spleen on why the Ghanaian media was over-fixated on ‘Straw’.

She indicated that if the attention given to Tyler’s new movie was accorded movies other Ghanaian film makers have done, they would have made some impact. 

“Why are we talking about Tyler Perry’s movie when we could easily have that same attention come to Shirley Frimpong-Manso movie?” she asked. 

Shirley added that she has been producing a lot of quality movies but she does not get a whit of the attention like Tyler Perry’s ‘Straw’ did in Ghana.

“We have put films there that critically examine a lot of things. We released a film called Chasing Lullaby on Mother’s Day. It’s a film that we shot a few years ago, and we released on our YouTube page - and you should see the film. It’s a beautiful film that talks about mothers in all forms and I didn’t see the media pick it up, and make a whole song and dance about it like they are doing with Tyler Perry’s movie. He doesn’t care about us,” she said. 

Shirley, who has been in the filmmaking industry for 17 years, is widely regarded as one of Ghana’s top directors. 

On 25th February 2025, she launched Sparrow Station, a YouTube channel dedicated to her film productions.

She is known for several acclaimed movies including Perfect Picture, Scorned, Life and Living It, 6 Hours to Christmas, A Sting in a Tale, and Checkmate.