The National Chairman for Training and Workshop Committee of Film Directors Guild of Ghana (FDGG), McLord Ice has noted with great concerns that there are only few women are in the filmmaking industry here in Ghana and Africa.
According to him, looking at the number of women in the filmmaking as Film directors, Cinematographers, Lighting crew etc, the government has to make policies that will encourage women in the field and enable them to join.
“This is very important because most mainstream movies and TV shows do not accurately represent female perspective and roles. In most movies women are usually portrayed as the stereotypes and their characters aren’t strong enough to stand on their own without a male and this in a way seriously affect women empowerment. Not only are female characters underrepresented they are also consistently misrepresented,” he said.
According to him, the few women who are in the filmmaking fraternity are equally doing great jobs as the men creating stories that fill the void giving examples like Liela Djansi, Juliet Asante among others.
He averred that the importance of policies that will support women in filmmaking will not only create diversity in the cinemas but they will also create films that more accurately portray female characters and women empowerment.
He said: “This will also serve the interest of empowering and improve the socio-economic condition of African women and girls on the continent and the Diaspora particularly in low-income and developing countries even like Ghana since filmmaking pays well. In addition these women can make films that advocating the right of women and girls and promote the agenda and programs of WOMEN EMPOWERMENT.”
McLord Ice believes more can also be put in filmmaking in Africa to do films that serves the goals and objectives of women and young ladies like films promoting mental health and reproductive health right of young women in Africa, films promoting sexual rights and end to sexual and all other violence in all forms against women, and making movies narrowing the gender gap in entrepreneurship, political and Economic Empowerment.
All these, he said, can be achieve by encouraging more women to take up role in the film fraternity, by having more women film directors, more women story and script writers and women cinematographers etc.
-Prosper Agbenyega