Director Leila Djansi's latest feature has earned a standing ovation at TIFF and reignited conversations about what it takes to get Ghanaian cinema on the global stage.
When Leila Djansi first pitched "Accra Blues" to investors in 2021, she was told the story was too local, too specific. Four years later, the film received a four-minute standing ovation at the Toronto International Film Festival, and distribution offers are arriving from six continents.
"The specific is universal," Djansi says simply. "I told the truth about Accra, and people in Toronto and Tokyo recognised something of themselves in it."
The film follows three women across different economic strata of Accra society over a single sweltering week in July. Shot entirely on location in Nima, Cantonments, and Tema, the film makes the city a character in its own right — its noise, colour, and contradictions woven into every frame.
Lead actress Adwoa Prempeh, a University of Ghana drama graduate who had never appeared on screen before, delivers a performance that has critics drawing comparisons to early Lupita Nyong'o. "I found Adwoa in a theatre workshop in Labone," Djansi recalls. "She was doing a monologue and I had to physically stop myself from going up to the stage."
The film opens in Ghanaian cinemas next month, with Silverbird Cinemas confirming a 40-screen national release — the widest for a Ghanaian-produced film in the company's history.
Advertisement
Kwame Asante
Kwame covers the Ghanaian music and film scene with a sharp ear for what resonates with young audiences. Based in Accra, he has interviewed over 200 artists across West Africa.
