Ghanaian-American filmmaker Leila Djansi has cautioned her colleagues in the industry against banking on YouTube as their main distribution platform, arguing that it cannot sustain serious filmmaking ventures.
Speaking on Daybreak Hitz with Kwame Dadzie and Doreen Avio, Djansi urged Ghanaian filmmakers to explore stronger and more reliable avenues if they hope to achieve financial growth.
“Personally, I don’t believe the film fund. I really don’t. I think it is premature, because there is no distribution. If you give the film fund how are they gonna [make profit],” she said.
She dismissed the widespread idea that YouTube could serve as a dependable outlet for local movies. “People think that we are just gonna put it on YouTube. I’m sorry YouTube is gonna collapse very soon. There is so much congestion on YouTube and they are always changing their policies. So if you go in now a I think it is seriously over-saturated. If you over-saturate it, they’re gonna reduce the earning. So how much are you gonna earn if you just put your film on YouTube.”
Beyond streaming challenges, Djansi maintained that piracy weakens YouTube’s value for Ghana’s creative industry and warned that even a state-backed film fund would fail without robust distribution systems.
The director also pointed to a shortage of experienced production crew in Ghana, a problem she believes must be addressed to elevate the sector. To help fill that gap, she announced plans to host the Film Crew Networking Fixer at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park on September 24, 2025, at 6:30 p.m., an event she says will connect filmmakers, crew, and other professionals across the value chain.
