The Eyes of Ghana Is Enlightened Perfection at Preserving Cinematic History

If you don’t know the story, that doesn’t mean it never took place.  In America, this is becoming our reality, but in Ghana it’s a reality the residents of Accra know all too well.

Kwame Nkrumah, had once stood as a world leader at the heart of Africa’s dream for unity and freedom until an allegedly CIA-backed coup in 1966 removed him from power and burned every piece of evidence that he had ever existed, erasing him from the story we tell ourselves in the Global North.

What they didn’t know is that celluloid negatives of Nkrumah had been safely preserved and the one person who knew their exact whereabouts was a 90 plus year-old cinematographer – Chris Hesse. Even though the state film archive was ordered to be burned in the coup, Hesse knew over a thousand reels of film had been saved from destruction documenting the moving image record of the Ghana’s  liberation.  Too warm to process film in Ghana, the rushes of these films were shipped to London and prints would be sent back to Ghana in order to screen these films. The Eyes of Ghana is Hesse’s journey on how those images got digitized and shown to the world.

Between, Hesse, Ben (Proudfoot) and Ghanian director Anita Afonue (Hesse’s protégé) and Ugandan filmmaker Moses Bwayo (Oscar® nominated co-director of Bobi Wine: The People’s President) Hesse’s dream became a reality when John Turner at IMAX and a contribution of raw film stock from Kodak, gave the crew access to one of only a handful of IMAX 65mm cameras in existence.  The rest is history.

Witnessing the grand finale of this film unfold and ultimately screening the freshly digitized  film in Accra’s newly restored Rex Theatre, is proof that when humanity comes together, there is nothing we can’t achieve. Unity and the human spirit should never be underestimated – especially when it comes to preserving our legacy as a people.

Produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions, The Eyes of Ghana is a stunning execution and history of two very different men bonded through love of country and making sure its history is held onto for generations to come.

Just like with his Oscar winning film, “The Last Repair Shop,” if there’s one thing director Ben Proudfoot excels in is bringing humanity and heart to the screen. The manner is which this journey is crafted is a sight to behold leaving audiences more educated and enlightened than before they entered the theatre.

The dynamic duo of Proudfoot and Kris Bower’s special gift is bringing stories to life with a thorough and invigorating orchestral score serving as its own character.  In “The Eyes of Ghana,” they stay true to the continent by blending African instrumentation with sweeping cinematic themes and recorded score with the trailblazing Chineke! Orchestra (the world’s first majority-Black orchestra), featuring guest Ghanaian instrumentalists including master atenteben flutist Dela Botri, and Ghanaian percussionists vocalists, the authenticity of the score became a spiritual restoration.

Having its World Premiere at TIFF, Proudfoot shared there are still more than 300 hours of footage yet to seen.  This documentary is slated to hit 14 different festivals and his goal is to ensure that every eye is brought to masses to screen this amazing  moment in history where Africa will no longer be a place people on the outside don’t understand, but rather a different perspective that hasn’t been colonized but celebrated in all its glory.

Bring tissues and be prepared to have your heart bursting with pride for The Eyes of Ghana represents the eyes of every collective group of humans who fight to maintain history in its purest form for eternity.