The doyen of Ghanaian filmmaking and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of TV Africa Limited, Kwaw Ansah, has cautioned producers in the film industry against wanting to make movies for quick money.

He said the industry was struggling to produce quality African movies as a result of the notion of making quick money through movie making. “If we chase money, the damage will be so intense that we will not have money to repair it,” he said.

Mr. Ansah made this observation when he addressed an audience in Accra at the launch of the second annual National Television and Film Industry (NAFTI) lectures on the Ghanaian motion picture industry.

The lectures, themed ‘Promotion of Cross Cultural Understanding: A Celebration of Ghanaian-German Co-operation and Collaborations in Media’, is supported by the Goethe Institut.

Mr. Ansah said one of the most powerful tools one could use to change the mind of an individual was film making, thus producers should face the challenges and see how best they could use the industry to shape national development.

Mr. Ansah, who was not happy about the name given to the Ghanaian film industry- Ghallywood- said every name given in Africa had a meaning and therefore the Ghanaian film industry should have chosen a name that would reflect the culture of the people of Ghana.

“What is wrong with calling our film industry ‘Ghana Cini’,” he asked. Talking about King Ampaw, an outstanding Ghanaian film maker in whose honour the lecture was held, Mr. Ansah said Ampaw deserved to be counted for his contribution towards the film industry in Ghana.

He also commended the board of NAFTI for taking the initiative to show that the works of people like King Ampaw would not go unrewarded. The Rector of NAFTI, Professor Linus Abraham, said the lecturers were instituted last year in reaction to a public criticism that NAFTI was partly to blame for the poor state of affairs in the film industry in Ghana.

He said the criticism drew attention to the fundamental importance of NAFTI as an organizing force that should underpin the industry. Thus the goal of the lectures held annually in the third week in February is to highlight the role that film and television play in the economic and social development of the country.

“Through a series of panel discussions, workshops and film screenings, the lectures are intended to facilitate research on the industry and to provide a platform for students, academics, professionals and the public at large to share and exchange views on the industry,” Prof. Abraham said.

He said the lectures would be climaxed with an awards and recognition night for TV and film producers who had contributed significantly to the development of the motion picture industry.