Award winning filmmaker Leila Djansi has criticized the structural direction of Ghanaian and Nigerian film industries, describing them as self serving systems that prioritize individual gain over long term creative growth. The American Ghanaian director shared her observations in a Facebook reflection after working across multiple time zones.
Djansi pointed to the dominance of individual YouTube platforms as evidence of the problem. She stated that every major player owning a plot of land on YouTube demonstrates a self serving, tribal serving, and wealth serving approach. According to the filmmaker, this structure has resulted in repetitive content driven by algorithms rather than artistic purpose.
The director of films including I Sing of a Well and Sinking Sands argued that the current system produces fast production cycles with quick turnover but no lasting memory or established canon. She warned that such an approach fails to build institutions or preserve creative heritage. Djansi stated that the structure doesn’t build shared libraries or lasting studios but instead creates silos that collapse inward.
Comparing Anglophone West African cinema to other global industries, Djansi noted that successful film ecosystems are built on structure rather than personalities. She cited Francophone Africa, East Africa, South Africa, Bollywood, Hollywood and Europe as examples where industries were constructed around systems instead of individuals.
The filmmaker highlighted funding frameworks, guilds and development pipelines as key drivers of sustainability. She explained that these systems protect excellence and submit to story. Djansi also criticized what she described as an obsession with Western validation, distinguishing between seeking collaboration and seeking approval.
She mocked popular slogans such as Ghana to the world and we’re on the map, suggesting that true film excellence requires discipline and collective purpose. According to Djansi, film excellence is not self serving but collective, disciplining ego, delaying gratification, and serving story above all else.
The filmmaker concluded her reflection by reaffirming her guiding principle as a director, stating that ultimately, story is king. She outlined her personal focus for 2026 as faith, film, food and family.
Djansi’s comments follow earlier criticism she shared over the Christmas period regarding Nollywood films available on YouTube. She described watching a film called Bad Influencer on Christmas Day, expressing disappointment at what she considered wasted storytelling potential in a production lasting 2 hours and 26 minutes.
The filmmaker anticipated pushback to her opinions, acknowledging that critics would likely question her own accomplishments or accuse her of jealousy and bitterness. She warned that streaming platforms could lose audiences if content quality does not improve, suggesting that services like Prime Video might eventually exit African markets due to declining standards.
However, Djansi also offered constructive advice for African filmmakers using YouTube as a platform. She emphasized that willingness to accept critique is the single most reliable predictor of success. The director stressed that YouTube’s status as a free platform should not diminish filmmakers’ ability to tell solid stories, arguing that the platform provides a valuable launchpad that content creators should use effectively.
Djansi began her filmmaking career in Ghana at age 19 with the state owned Gama Film Company, where she wrote and produced Legacy of Love. She later moved to the United States on an artist honors scholarship to study film at Savannah College of Art and Design.
Her directorial debut I Sing of a Well in 2009 received 11 nominations at the Africa Movie Academy Awards, winning the Special Jury Award for Overall Best Film. The film also received the BAFTA/LA Choice Award at the Pan African Film Festival for excellence in filmmaking.
Djansi’s 2011 film Sinking Sands, which supports the Say No to Violence Against Women Campaign for UNiFEM Ghana, received 10 Africa Movie Academy Award nominations. Actress Ama K Abebrese won Best Actress while Djansi earned the Best Original Screenplay Award. At the first Ghana Movie Awards in 2011, Sinking Sands received awards for Best Art Direction, Best Costume, Best West African Film and Best Picture.
Her 2016 film Like Cotton Twines explored the practice of Trokosi in Ghana and was nominated for Best World Fiction Film at the Los Angeles Film Festival. The production also secured the Best Narrative Feature award at the Savannah Film Festival and won the same honor at the Riverbend Film Festival in 2017.
Djansi has been recognized by various international organizations for using filmmaking to highlight women’s issues. Her work inspired Ghanaian filmmakers to return home and contribute to telling African stories. She established Turning Point Pictures, an independent production company focused on social issue films.
The filmmaker’s first project, Grass Between My Lips, won the 2009 WorldFest Platinum Award. The film addressed female circumcision and early marriage in a northern Ghana village. Her other credits include Ties That Bind starring Kimberly Elise, Where Children Play featuring Grammy winner Macy Gray, and And Then There Was You with Garcelle Beauvais and Lynn Whitfield.
In September 2025, Djansi and Ghanaian film producer Ludwig Mawuli Agbezuhlor hosted a networking mixer for film industry professionals at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. The event aimed to provide a platform for crew members to network, collaborate and promote high professional standards in filmmaking.
Speaking on Hitz FM’s Daybreak Hitz, Djansi explained that the Ghana film industry needs well trained and efficient crew in all film departments before anything else. She expressed concern that filmmakers almost always have to fly in more than 50% of crew members from abroad.
Djansi’s work and contribution to the Ghana film industry has been recognized by UNiFEM Ghana, The African Women Development Fund, The Ghana Musicians Association and other social issue minded communities.
