Ghanaian filmmakers criticize TV stations over copyright and local content

Filmmakers and industry professionals in Ghana are raising concerns regarding the sustainability and legal compliance of the local movie industry. Veteran filmmaker Socrate Safo has accused OBTV, a station owned by Prophet Daniel Obinim, of allegedly broadcasting movies without proper copyright permissions. Safo noted that inquiries with the Copyright Office raised concerns about audiovisual licensing on the station and emphasized that religious broadcasting should not exempt stations from intellectual property laws.

In a related critique of the industry's decline, actress and filmmaker Selassie Ibrahim has blamed television broadcasters for undermining Ghanaian cinema. Ibrahim claims that stations are responsible for a significant portion of the industry's struggles by prioritizing foreign content, such as dubbed telenovelas, over local productions. She argued that the financial resources spent on acquiring and dubbing foreign programs should instead be invested in supporting local filmmakers to produce competitive content.