Ghanaian actor and filmmaker Kwadwo Nkansah, popularly known as LilWin, has become emotional while recounting the difficulties he encountered during the production of his upcoming movie, Journey to Africa (Nzulezu), which features a star-studded cast from Nigeria’s film industry.
The filmmaker revealed that the production nearly stalled after some of the Nigerian actors became unwilling to return to the set because of concerns about travelling on water to reach the filming location.
The movie was filmed in Nzulezu, a unique community in Ghana’s Western Region where residents live in houses built on stilts above a body of water. Reaching the community required the cast and crew to travel by boat for approximately 40 minutes, a journey that reportedly became a major concern for some of the actors.
LilWin said the situation arose after three days of filming, when the Nigerian stars informed him that they were no longer prepared to make the journey back to the location.
According to him, the actors proposed relocating the production, but such a move would have created a significant problem because the community and its distinctive lifestyle formed the foundation of the film’s storyline.
The unexpected development left the filmmaker uncertain about how to move forward, particularly as the production team had planned to complete the shoot within a week.
“After three days of shooting the movie, all the stars said they would not return to the set or travel on the water again. They asked for the movie to be shot somewhere else, but the storyline was about Nzulezu, where people live on the water, and the entire story was based there. All the stars refused to go back on the water to continue shooting, and there was confusion,” Llwin explained.
Despite the setback, the prominent actor said he made efforts to persuade the actors to continue with the project. He acknowledged that travelling across the water could be intimidating, particularly for people who were uncomfortable with such journeys.
He explained that he approached the actors individually, speaking with them and attempting to reassure them in the hope of getting the production back on track.
The filmmaker also expressed sympathy for their concerns, linking their reluctance to a previous tragedy involving one of their colleagues who drowned while filming a water scene.
LilWin suggested that the fatal incident may have heightened the actors’ fears, making their hesitation understandable rather than unreasonable.
“I don’t blame the Nigerian stars because, not long ago, one of their colleagues drowned and died while shooting a water scene for a movie. So, to some extent, I understood their concerns,” he further stated.
Journey to Africa (Nzulezu) brings together several prominent Nollywood actors, including Kanayo O. Kanayo, Patience Ozokwor, Mike Ezuruonye, Charles Awurum, Zubby Michael and Destiny Etiko.
The project is part of LilWin’s efforts to bring Ghanaian and Nigerian film talents together, with Nzulezu serving as a central part of the story and the setting for the international production.
🚨lil win breaks down as he reveals the struggles he faced with the nigerian actors and actresses who refused to shoot the movie at nzulezu it’s time lil win picks up his phone, calls opambour and apologizes because chale the curses might be working 💔 https://t.co/PRvPTjgO7R
— khendrick🇬🇧🇬🇭! (@_khendrick) October 14, 2026
