NFA to roll out ‘Cinema Train’ to expand screening venues for filmmakers

The National Film Authority (NFA) is preparing to roll out a new initiative, dubbed ‘Cinema Train,’ to expand the exhibition of Ghanaian films beyond Accra and provide filmmakers with access to more screening venues across the country.

The initiative is being developed in partnership with the National Commission on Culture (NCC), which has facilities in nine of the former 10 regions of Ghana.

The Executive Secretary of the NFA, Ms Kafui Danku-Pitcher, said the Authority was currently scouting for suitable locations across the country as part of preparations for the programme.

She said the project was intended to address the shortage of exhibition spaces available to filmmakers and create opportunities for Ghanaian films to reach audiences outside the capital.

Ms Danku-Pitcher said the NFA was working with the NCC to identify existing facilities that could be converted into suitable venues for film exhibition.

She explained that some of the identified facilities required facelifts and technical improvements before they could meet the standards required for film screenings.

The upgrades, she said, would help improve the aesthetic appeal, comfort and technical capacity of the venues.

Ms Danku-Pitcher said the ‘Cinema Train’ would also provide a platform for the NFA to work with actors, filmmakers and other industry stakeholders on film distribution and exhibition.

She said the programme would be launched soon, adding that the initiative was expected to formalise the use of the identified spaces for film-related activities.

The Acting Executive Director of the NCC, Mr Wakefield Ackuaku, said the Commission’s network of cultural facilities provided an opportunity to support the initiative.

He said the facilities, which were located in nine of the former 10 regions, could be used by filmmakers and other creative industry practitioners.

Mr Ackuaku said the NCC was prepared to make the facilities available not only for film screenings but also for activities involving musicians, performers and other creatives.

He said the Commission did not require large financial deposits for programmes that were consistent with its mandate to preserve, promote and develop Ghanaian culture.

The arrangement, he said, was intended to encourage creatives to use the facilities and create more activities at the Centres for National Culture.

Mr Ackuaku said the initiative would help revive the use of the facilities, particularly beyond normal working hours, when many of the centres were not being fully utilised.

The partnership between the NFA and NCC is expected to create a network of venues that can support film exhibition across the country.

The ‘Cinema Train’ is also expected to give filmmakers opportunities to take their productions to new audiences while strengthening the distribution and exhibition side of Ghana’s film industry.

The initiative comes as stakeholders in the creative sector continue to explore ways of improving access to infrastructure and creating more avenues for locally produced films to reach the public.

The success of the project will depend on the upgrading of identified facilities and the establishment of a workable system for filmmakers and other creatives to use the spaces.

By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw 

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