Film Development Fund receives nearly 100 applications

The National Film Authority’s Film Development Fund has attracted nearly 100 applications seeking almost GH¢100 million, as 56 applicants enter the final stage of pitching.

The 56 applicants are pitching their projects in person to a panel of evaluators in sessions that began on Monday, 9 November, and will conclude on Friday, 13 November 2026. The panel is expected to finalise the list of projects that will receive funding from the GH¢20 million seed fund.

The applications represent a combined project budget of almost GH¢1 billion, approximately 50 times the size of the Fund. The amount requested is also about five times the available funding, highlighting the demand for financial support among Ghanaian filmmakers.

The National Film Authority (NFA) says the selection process will prioritise projects that are bankable, deliverable and rooted in Ghanaian content.

“The response has been remarkable. Close to a hundred applications and a combined project value approaching one billion cedis tell us the industry has been waiting for this kind of structured support,” said Kafui Danku-Pitcher, Executive Secretary of the National Film Authority.

“Our job now is to be rigorous and fair, and then to move quickly. Filmmakers who are selected should be on set, not waiting on paperwork.”

Mawuko Afadzinu, Chairman of the Film Development Fund Management Committee, said the committee had approached the process as stewards of a public resource.

“This is not a prize draw. We are looking for projects with a credible plan, a capable team and a clear route to audiences and revenue. The strength of the pitches so far gives us confidence that the Fund will be put to work well.”

Under the Fund’s rules, drawn from the Film Development Fund provisions of the Film Development and Classification Act, 2016 (Act 935), the Fund may support up to 60 per cent of an eligible project’s budget, while applicants must raise the remaining amount themselves.

The arrangement is designed to attract private investment and partnerships, allowing the Fund’s GH¢20 million allocation to support projects with a much larger combined value.

The 56 shortlisted applicants are defending their projects before the evaluators, who are assessing the quality of each pitch alongside the written applications.

More than 66 per cent of the applications received are for the Production Window, making the production of finished films the Fund’s most sought-after area of support.

The Fund’s approved seed allocation is organised into 10 windows divided into two groups, allowing support to reach different parts of the film value chain rather than focusing solely on production.

The five Core Windows carry the main investment in the industry: Production, Distribution & Marketing, Cinema Infrastructure Development, Strategic Industry Projects, and International Co-Production.

The five Enabling Windows are designed to build the foundations around them: Development, Training & Capacity Building, Research & Innovation, Regional Development & Inclusion, and Public Education & Behavioural Change.

The concentration in production is understandable. After years of limited access to finance, producers have films ready to shoot. However, a healthy industry needs more than productions. It requires scripts that are developed before the cameras roll, trained crews, cinemas and distribution networks to take finished films to audiences, as well as co-production deals that open foreign markets.

This is where the Fund’s wider design matters. The windows beyond production give the NFA room to build the entire value chain and offer opportunities for new partners to make a significant impact.

A bank may find the case for Cinema Infrastructure compelling. A telecommunications company or consumer brand may prefer Distribution & Marketing, while a development agency may see Training & Capacity Building or Regional Development & Inclusion as a natural fit.

Each window offers a different entry point towards the same goal: building a Ghanaian film industry that can sustain itself.

The NFA is targeting disbursement from the end of November into early December, following the panel’s final selections. This is expected to allow funded projects to begin execution before the end of the year.

For crews, cast members and suppliers, the disbursement could mean work starting in the first weeks of the new production cycle, as the Fund begins delivering on its objectives following its formal launch in May 2026.

How Ghana compares with other African film industries

The importance of the Fund can be understood by examining how some of Africa’s leading film industries have grown and the factors that have influenced their development.

Nigeria is the clearest example of scale. Anglophone West Africa’s box office reached roughly ₦15.6 billion in 2025, according to figures released by FilmOne Entertainment, with Nollywood titles accounting for about 49.4 per cent of revenue, narrowly ahead of Hollywood’s share.

The Nigerian box office has grown from about ₦7.4 billion in 2023 to approximately ₦15.6 billion in 2025, with industry projections pointing to ₦20 billion in 2026.

Estimates put direct employment in the Nigerian film industry at around one million people, while the federal government has set an ambition of building a US$100 billion creative economy by 2030.

Nollywood’s growth has been driven by production volume, a deep domestic audience and an expanding multiplex network that provides local films with platforms for exhibition.

South Africa demonstrates the importance of infrastructure and incentives, as well as the challenges that arise when funding becomes unpredictable.

The National Film and Video Foundation has commissioned economic impact studies over the years to track the industry’s contribution to gross domestic product, employment and tax revenue.

The country’s foreign production incentive, which pays 25 per cent of qualifying local expenditure, with a bonus for Black-owned service companies, attracted more than R2.5 billion in foreign production investment between November 2023 and June 2024.

However, the scheme approved no new projects in the 2024/25 and 2025/26 financial years because of a funding shortfall, at a reported cost of roughly 1,850 jobs. The experience highlights the importance of predictable financing support.

Egypt, Africa’s oldest film industry, remains one of the continent’s largest by audience. Its box office was performing above pre-pandemic levels in 2025, although currency depreciation reduced its value in hard currency to roughly US$37 million, down from nearly US$60 million six years earlier.

Cairo has responded with a state-backed plan to revive cinema as an economic and soft power asset. The experience demonstrates that a large domestic market also requires deliberate investment to remain competitive.

Ghana has the stories, talent and a global diaspora audience, but has lacked the infrastructure and financing mechanisms needed to support the industry’s growth.

Industry commentators have pointed to fewer than 20 functional cinema screens for a population of more than 33 million, compared with over 800 in South Africa.

The country also lacks a comprehensive system for tracking box office performance, audience figures and production output, making it difficult for investors to assess the market.

Ghana has previously attempted to address the financing gap. The 2021 Presidential Film Pitch Series attracted 100 submissions and shortlisted 25 projects, resulting in at least one investment deal for a documentary series.

However, what was missing was a permanent, statutory fund.

How the Fund could change Ghana’s film industry

The Film Development Fund is intended to address that gap. Three features give it the potential to change Ghana’s position.

It converts ambition into financed production. Nigeria’s growth rested on a steady flow of locally financed films, while South Africa’s industry benefited from sustained incentives. A dedicated fund gives Ghanaian producers a reliable first source of capital.

It attracts private investment. With a limit of 60 per cent on its contribution to any project’s budget, the Fund is designed to attract co-investors and ensure producers retain a financial stake in the commercial success of their projects.

It builds a track record. Disbursement, delivery and repayment data will give banks, brands and international partners evidence of how Ghanaian film projects perform.

The Fund will not match Nollywood’s scale on its own. GH¢20 million is a seed allocation, and the demand demonstrated in the first round makes a case for expanding it and attracting corporate and development partners.

However, it gives Ghana what South Africa’s and Nigeria’s industries each needed at an early stage: a credible, rules-based source of finance around which producers can plan.

Cinema Train: giving funded films somewhere to go

Financing production is only half of the equation. Films need audiences, and audiences need places to watch them. This is where the NFA’s newly launched Cinema Train Initiative comes in.

Launched on Saturday, 31 October 2026, at Silverbird Cinemas in Accra, the Cinema Train aims to widen access to cinema, improve exhibition and create sustainable revenue for Ghanaian filmmakers.

The initiative connects filmmakers, distributors, cinema operators and communities. It also plans to expand screening venues through partnerships, including with the National Commission on Culture and its centres across the country.

The NFA’s Board has set a target of getting at least one per cent of Ghana’s population to watch locally produced films.

The two initiatives are designed to reinforce each other. The Fund provides new, premiere-ready Ghanaian content, while the Cinema Train creates a route to market, allowing funded films to reach paying audiences and generate revenue that can help repay and recycle capital.

“The Fund and the Cinema Train are two halves of one strategy,” said Ms Danku-Pitcher.

“We are financing the stories and building the screens and the audiences to receive them. When both work, filmmakers earn, investors see returns, and the industry grows.”

Mr Afadzinu added: “Every project we back is a bet on an audience. The Cinema Train strengthens those bets, because a film that can reach viewers in communities across the country is a safer investment for everyone involved.”

Following the demand demonstrated in the first round, the NFA is seeking to expand the Film Development Fund through partnerships with corporate Ghana, financial institutions, development partners, international film funds, exhibitors and platforms.

The Authority is inviting prospective partners to participate as the Fund develops.

The case for additional investment is clear. Almost 100 applications, representing nearly GH¢1 billion in project budgets, have been submitted to a Fund with GH¢20 million available.

Every viable project that cannot secure financing represents potential jobs, a story and a revenue stream that Ghana could lose. Partners who join the initiative now can help address the funding gap while the industry’s rules, project pipeline and track record are being established.

“The Fund has shown that Ghanaian filmmakers are ready to build. What they need is more capital standing beside them,” said Kafui Danku-Pitcher.

“We are opening the door to banks, brands, development partners and fellow film bodies who want to back an industry on the rise, and we want them in the room while the opportunity is still being shaped.”

The NFA has outlined several benefits for organisations that support the Fund.

Partners can contribute capital directly to the Fund, co-finance individual projects, sponsor specific windows or events, or support the Cinema Train and training programmes.

Organisations interested in partnering with the Fund are encouraged to contact the National Film Authority.

The filmmakers who pitched their projects this week have demonstrated what Ghana can produce when given the opportunity. The NFA is now extending the invitation to other stakeholders with an interest in the country’s creative future to invest in the next chapter of Ghanaian film.

The coming weeks will determine whether Ghana can translate the current momentum into sustained growth for its film industry.

The evaluation panel is expected to finalise its selections after the pitching sessions close, with disbursement targeted from late November into early December.

Beyond the first round, the NFA says it will continue working with government, corporate Ghana and development partners to expand the Fund and ensure it operates on predictable terms.

For an industry that has long called for improved access to finance, the first round has demonstrated considerable demand. The applications have been received, projects have been pitched, and the machinery to support Ghanaian filmmaking is now in motion.