Two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Ben Proudfoot has joined forces with Ugandan filmmaker Moses Bwayo and former President Barack and Michelle Obama to bring “The Eyes of Ghana” to life.
This feature-length documentary, now in the final stages of post-production, shines a spotlight on Chris Hesse, the 93-year-old unsung cinematographer who served as the personal filmmaker for Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first President.
About The Documentary
The Eyes of Ghana traces the meteoric rise and controversial fall of Nkrumah, a visionary leader who galvanized the African continent’s fight for independence in the 1950s and 1960s.
As Ghana’s first Prime Minister and later President, Nkrumah became a global symbol of anti-colonialism, even gracing the cover of Time magazine in 1953.
However, his legacy was marred by a 1966 military coup, allegedly supported by the CIA, which branded him a dictator and led to orders for his era’s films to be destroyed.
Through Hesse’s lens, the documentary reclaims this pivotal chapter of history, offering an intimate and untold perspective on the continent’s liberation.
At the heart of the film is Chris Hesse, a cinematic hero who quietly safeguarded over 1,000 films from Nkrumah’s era for more than six decades.
Hesse’s protégé, Ghanaian filmmaker and producer Anita Afonu, joins him in this journey, helping to unearth and contextualize these cinematic treasures.
Collaborating with the Obamas
Proudfoot’s storytelling prowess, known for illuminating overlooked figures in history, finds a perfect canvas in The Eyes of Ghana.
His recent collaboration with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground production company on the short documentary The Turnaround, which premiered at Telluride, paved the way for their involvement as executive producers on this project.
Joining them are producers Nana Adwoa Frimpong, Afonu, Bwayo, Brandon Somerhalder, and Higher Ground’s Ethan Lewis and Vinnie Malhotra, with Breakwater Studios anchoring the production.
The documentary’s original score will be done by Kris Bowers, the Academy Award-nominated composer behind The Wild Robot.
This article was edited with AI and reviewed by human editors
