The team of the critically acclaimed Ghanaian film, ‘Like Cotton Twines’, interacted with the media at the IFFI, 2016 in Goa today.

The film, a social drama set in a remote Ghanaian village, is about a 14 year-old Ghanian girl, Tuigi who is supposed to become a Trokosi, a social practice prevalent in tribal communities of Ghana where young girls have to become slaves to the gods as a part of an appeasement of sins committed by their family members.

The film depicts an African-American volunteer, Micah Brown who is teaching in Tuigi’s village, struggling with history, the Church and the State, to give Tuigi a life outside tradition.

Talking about the making of the film, Ms. Leila Djansi, the Ghanaian-American Director, said that the story, based on her experiences from different countries, has been close to her heart for more than 20 years and has taken over 8 years in its making. The crew had to face a lot of difficulties during the production that ranged from social stigmatization to financial hurdles. The film seeks to give a voice and identity to the oppressed women around the world, specifically in Ghana, she added.

‘Like Cotton Twines’, has won the top prize for the Narrative Feature at the recently concluded Savannah Film Festival.

Ms. Djansi is a critically acclaimed Ghanaian-American filmmaker who began her career in Ghana at the early age of 19. Her directorial debut in 2009 netted an unprecedented 11 nominations at the African Academy Awards, winning the special Jury Award for Overall Best Film, as well as the BAFTA/LA Choice Award at the Pan African film.

Replying to a question on the prevalence of racism in Ghana, Ms. Akofa Djankui, one of the Producers, said that the social evil of racism is still prevalent in Ghana and she hopes that cinema will help educating people to rise above such practices that are a baggage of the colonial past.

Adding to this, Ms. Whitney Valcin, the other Producer, noted that racism has been prevalent even in America for decades now. ‘We are progressing but still have a long way to go and hope that our movies reach out to maximum number of people and bring in a significant change in the way they think’, she added.

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RDS/VM