Spotlights 93-Year-Old Documentarian’s Archive of Lost Films From Africa’s Liberation Era
Directed and Produced by Ben Proudfoot; Produced by Moses Bwayo, Nana Adwoa Frimpong, Anita Afonu, and others; Executive Produced by Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and John Akomfrah
Original Score by Composer Kris Bowers
Official World Premiere Screenings
Thursday, Sept. 4 at 6:30 PM – TIFF Lightbox
Filmmakers and participants in-person for conversation.
Friday, Sept. 5 at 8:45 PM – Scotiabank Theatre
Filmmakers and participants in-person for conversation.
Press & Industry Screenings
Friday, Sept. 5 at 12 PM – Scotiabank Theatre
Thursday, Sept. 11 at 4:15 PM – Scotiabank Theatre
Longline from TIFF Programmers: In this love letter to cinema, we witness Ghanaian cameraman Chris Hesse, now in his 90s, pass on his legacy to the younger filmmaker Anita Afonu, captured by two-time Oscar® winner Ben Proudfoot.
Synopsis: From Oscar®-winning director Ben Proudfoot, THE EYES OF GHANA is a stunning feature documentary following 93-year-old documentarian Chris Hesse—personal cinematographer to forgotten African icon Kwame Nkrumah—as he races against blindness and time to rescue and repatriate a secret trove of over 1,300 films that captured the birth of African independence in the fifties and sixties. Yet unseen by the public, these films may not only rewrite Ghanaian and African history—but world history itself.
Directed by: Ben Proudfoot
Executive Produced by: Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, John Akomfrah, Dan & Lian Gill, Max Johnson, Jonathan E. Lim, Michael Risley, Josh Rosenberg, David Treatman, Esther Wojcicki
Produced by: Nana Adwoa Frimpong, Ben Proudfoot, Anita Afonu, Moses Bwayo, Brandon Somerhalder, Ethan Lewis and Vinnie Malhotra
Original Score: Kris Bowers
Director of Photography: Brandon Somerhalder
Editor: Mónica Salazar
Full Credits:
https://tiff.net/films/the-eyes-of-ghana
