The Ghanaian Filmmaker Obsession with Romantic Comedy: FILM GENRE

If you are a devout follower of the Ghana film industry then you have end up consuming more of romantic comedy films.

There are over 100 film genres to select. In Ghana our filmmakers seem to be trapped in the web of romantic comedy. No matter how hard they are criticized they simply refuse to step out of their romantic comedy shell. The use of heavy prayers has even failed to get them out of the realm of romantic comedy.

The high quality of films that has been made in recent times can’t be played down. The tall list include: Devil in a Dress, Single Married and Complicated, Cheaters, When Love Comes Around, Bachelors, Why Should I Get Married, Happy Death Day, Letter to Adam, If You Were Mine I will pause here and take a sip of water. All these are wearing the coat of romantic comedy genre.

How about the Kumawood brothers of the Ghana film industry? They lived in a world of their own. Their film is inspired by what is happening within the country.

Take for instance when Aseidu Nketia light up the country with laughter in his wife’s suit while meeting a German delegation.  Kumawood chanced on the incident making a film about it.

From Boys Abre, Tonga, Supreme Court, Castro all these themes have movie made on them by the Kumawood guys. For Kumawood brothers the genre which they are more obsessed about are drama.

 Top class film avoiding the romantic comedy genre and inspired by true events are Juliet Asante’s “Silverain” Yvonne Nelson’s “If Tomorrow Never Comes”, Love of Something Like that, Shirley Frimpong-Manso has “Grey Dawn” which can be put in the genre of political drama.

Probably in the final analysis it all boils down to what spectators are yearning for. If they are thirsty for romantic comedy quench their taste with that.

If they want drama why give them thriller. So the Ghana film industry continues to grow like an oversize head on a puny body riddled with romantic comedy.

It appears today I have to end this piece on a sour note, but never mind better times ahead, catch you on the fun side of life smiling.