Socrate Safo

Last updated
Socrate Safo
NationalityGhanaian
CitizenshipGhanaian
Occupation(s)Director, filmmaker
Years active1992–present
Notable workGhost Tears

Socrate Safo is a Ghanaian director, filmmaker, and Director for Creative Arts at the National Commission on Culture (NCC) in Ghana. He is a prominent figure in Ghallywood and head of Move Africa Productions. [1]

Contents

Career

Safo began his filmmaking career while working as a janitor in a movie theater. He was initially training to be an auto mechanic. It was during this time he filmed his 1992 movie Ghost Tears, which became a commercial success. [2] The movie helped pioneer the Ghanaian ghost film genre. [3]

Safo was Public Relations Officer of the Film Producers Association of Ghana. [4] He featured prominently in the 2011 VICE documentary The Sakawa Boys, which spoke about Safo's influence on the Sakawa movement in Ghana. Safo claims to have made more than 100 movies between 1988 and the filming of the documentary. [5] In 2015, he closed down his Movie Africa Studio because of 'Dumsor'. [6]

In June 2017, Safo was appointed as Director for Creative Arts at the NCC. [7] Previously, he had been working as Executive Secretary at the NCC. [8]

In May 2020, Safo was appointed by Barbara Oteng Gyasi, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts as Chairman of the Film Classification Committee, a committee formed under the Ghana National Film Authority. The goal of the committee is to regulate and promote the Ghanaian film industry. [9] [10] In 2021, he announced his retirement from filmmaking. [11]

Personal life

Safo is married to his wife Mercy. He has three sons and a daughter. [12] He is a member of the New Patriotic Party.[ citation needed ]

Awards and nominations

YearOrganisationAwardWorkResult
2010
Best Directing - English
Adults Only
Nominated [13]

Related Research Articles

Gary Yates is a Canadian film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films include Seven Times Lucky, High Life, Niagara Motel and Taken in Broad Daylight. The latter, released in 2009, starred Sara Canning as Anne Sluti, James Van Der Beek,LeVar Burton, and was based on true events. The film was described as "another woman-In-peril TV movie".

Joseph Hanson Kwabena Nketia was a Ghanaian ethnomusicologist and composer. Considered Africa's premier musicologist, during his lifetime, he was called a "living legend" and "easily the most published and best known authority on African music and aesthetics in the world", with more than 200 publications and 80 musical compositions to his credit.

Sakawa is a Ghanaian term for illegal practices which combine modern Internet-based fraud with African traditionalist rituals. The term or word Sakawa is an Hausa word which means putting inside, how to make money. The rituals, which are mostly in the form of sacrifices, are intended to spiritually manipulate victims so that the scammer's fraud is successful. The term Sakawa referred to specific online scams but has since broadened to include all types of online frauds and scams mainly targeting foreigners. The scammers flaunt stylish clothes, luxury cars, and enormous wealth, in order to promote this act. In impoverished areas, it can be seen as a way of survival for some.

Adom FM is a privately owned radio station in Accra, the capital of Ghana. The station is owned and run by the media group company Multimedia Group Limited. The word adom means 'grace' in Twi.

The 2010 Ghana Movie Awards was the maiden edition of the ceremony to reward cinematic achievement in Ghana Film Industry. The event was held at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Accra on 25 December 2010. Sinking Sands, Juliet Ibrahim, Nadia Buari, Yvonne Okoro, Majid Michel, John Dumelo & Genevieve Nnaji were among the winners.

King Ampaw is a Ghanaian filmmaker and actor born in Kukurantumi in the Eastern Region of Ghana. He is known for starring as the second lead role with the late Hollywood actor, Klaus Kinski in Werner Herzog's sensational film Cobra Verde (1987) which he also co-produced. He also co-produced the film African Timber (1989) directed by Peter F. Bringmann.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kwabena Donkor</span> Ghanaian politician (born 1958)

Kwabena Donkor is a Ghanaian politician and a former Minister for Power. He is the current Member of Parliament for the Pru East constituency, in the Bono East Region of Ghana. He resigned from his office as minister due to failure to end load shedding popularity known as Dumsor, having promised to resign if he did not solve this before the end of 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of Ghana</span>

Cinema of Ghana also known as the Ghana Film Industry nicknamed Ghallywood, began when early film making was first introduced to the British colony of Gold Coast in 1923. At the time only affluent people could see the films, especially the colonial master of Gold Coast. In the 1950s, film making in Ghana began to increase. Cinemas were the primary venue for watching films until home video became more popular. The movie industry has no official name as yet since consultations and engagements with stakeholders has been ongoing when a petition was sent to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture which suspended the use of the name Black Star Films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mustapha Inusah</span> Ghanaian celebrity Journalist

Mustapha Nii-Okai Inusah, known professionally as Attractive Mustapha is a Ghanaian celebrity journalist and Blogger, CEO of Attractive Media, Attractive Productions, and a communications and IT expert. Attractive Mustapha was the 2017 Entertainment Journalist of the Year and national organizer for the Arts and Tourism Writers Association of Ghana.

Rex Omar is a Ghanaian highlife artist. He first rose to prominence in 1989 with the Aware Pa album which also included the track, Wodofo Ne Hwan? Following this, in 1992 he formed the Highlife Supergroup Nakorex together with fellow Highlife artists Nat Brew and Akosua Agyapong, the group's name being an acronym made up of the first letters of each member's name. He then pursued a solo career. He performed together with Sony Achiba. In 2004 Omar was nominated for a Kora award, and in 2005 he was nominated as Artiste of the Year in the Ghana Music Awards.

Adom Praiz is an annual gospel music concert that is organized at The Perez Dome in Accra, Ghana. It was started in 2009 at the Accra International Conference Centre and organized by Adom FM. The event has been attended by both local and international award-winning gospel musicians and groups.

Emmanuel Kojo Dadson was a veteran Ghanaian actor, director, producer and musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kofi Asamoah</span> Ghanaian director, writer, and film producer

Kofi Asamoah also known as Kofas is a Ghanaian award-winning film director, writer, and film producer. He is the CEO and Creative Director of Kofas Media, a film, television and advertising production company.

Obaapa Christy formerly Christiana Love is a Ghanaian Gospel musician. The Meti Ase hit singer was recipient of Gospel Artist of the Year and Song of the Year Awards during the 2007 edition of Ghana Music Awards. In 2008, she was conferred with a National honor by John Kufuor.

No Time To Die is a 2006 Ghanaian comic and romantic movie produced by Wolfgang Panzer, a German, writer and director and co-produced by King Ampaw, an award-winning Ghanaian director and actor. The movie was directed by King Ampaw. The music was composed by Ben Michael Mankhamba a Malawian guitarist, singer, songwriter, composer. The costumes were designed by Lisa Meier. It was produced in 2006 in Ghana and Germany. It is an English speaking movie which lasts for 95 minutes. It was selected in December 2016 at the African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) in New York.

Tom Ribeiro is a Ghanaian writer and director. He wrote and directed several Ghanaian movies made in the post-colonial era, mainly under the production rights of the Ghana Film Industry Corporation (GFIC), which was set up by Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah. These movies included Genesis Chapter X (1977), Dede (1992), Set on Edge (1999) The Visitor (1983), Out of Sight, Out of Love (1983), Rituals of Fire and The Village Court.

Mercy Asiedu is a Ghanaian veteran actress who has contributed to the growth of the movie industry. She is known for the role she played in Concert Party and Asoreba. She is also known as being one of the popular Kumawood actresses starring in several roles in the 2000s.

Eddie Cofie (1959–2015) was a Ghanaian actor, president of the Ghana Actors Guild, and also a pastor. He featured in many Ghanaian movies like Bob Smith's Diabolo, Dirty Tears Sinking Sands and A Northern Affair.

Yaw Owusu Addo is a Ghanaian journalist, public servant, and politician. He served as the acting Director General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation from 2005 to 2007.

References

  1. Sika, Delali (2 January 2020). "Movie industry woes our own fault - Socrate Safo". Graphic Showbiz Online. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  2. Guneratne, Anthony R.; Dissanayake, Wimel, eds. (2003). Rethinking Third Cinema. London: Routledge. p. 132. ISBN   0-203-63758-5.
  3. Garritano, Carmela (April 2017). "The Materiality of Genre: Analog and Digital Ghosts in Video Movies from Ghana". The Cambridge Journal of Postcolonial Literary Inquiry. 4 (2): 191–206. doi:10.1017/pli.2017.12. S2CID   193022216 . Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  4. Dadson, Nanabanyin (16 December 2010). "We are sorry - Filmmakers say". Graphic Showbiz (653). Graphic Communications Group: 4. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  5. Thomas Morton. The Sakawa Boys (documentary). Vice. Event occurs at 11:48. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  6. Online, Peace FM. "Socrate Safo Sacks All Workers, Closes Down Movie Africa Studio Because of 'Dumsor'". Peacefmonline.com - Ghana news. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  7. Dadzie, Kwame (13 June 2017). "Socrate Safo gets Commission for National Culture appointment". Citi 97.3 FM. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  8. "Socrate Safo Finally Gets Letter As Director @ Commission On Culture". Entertainment Ghana. 12 June 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  9. "Socrate Safo: We will protect the future". BusinessGhana. May 15, 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  10. Attractive, Mustapha (May 9, 2020). "Film Classification Committee To Be Inaugurated On Thursday". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  11. Acquah, Edward (26 April 2021). "Socrate Safo announces retirement from filmmaking with 'Tun-Tum' movie". Republic Online. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  12. "Socrates Safo's Wife Speaks Out".
  13. Dadson, Nanabanyin (2 December 2010). "Ghana Movie Awards". Graphic Showbiz (651). Graphic Communications Group: 12. Retrieved 19 March 2020.