The Eyes of Ghana follows Chris Hesse – documentary filmmaker and cameraman for the first President of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah – in what he calls the ‘evening of his life’. Now in his 90s, he charges younger Ghanian filmmakers like Anita Afonu with the importance of their craft to their history.
Directed by Ben Proudfoot, The Eyes of Ghana masterfully moves between Hesse’s personal story, the significance of cinema in global and communal history, Ghana’s transition from colonisation to independence, and other aspects of Kwame Nkrumah’s legacy, including his pan-African dreams and what many would call the pitfalls of his governance towards its end.
I’m not even exaggerating; The Eyes of Ghana is the best film I’ve ever seen. Its resonance with me is personal, on all the angles it presents. I am an African whose country also had to fight for independence from the British, and a lover of film who has, at this point, dedicated her life to the highlighting film’s ability to shape culture.
Art has always had the job of housing the moment in history it is from for future generations, and The Eyes of Ghana highlights that. There were many aspects of the documentary that were reminiscent to me of the way my culture and its belief systems have traditionally been passed down orally. But art also has the power to create reality. Watch something many times enough and you begin to believe it, even on a subconscious level. Colonialists knew this used film to keep colonies in check by feeding them lies about themselves. Nkrumah and Hesse also knew this, and took Hesse’s job very seriously, with Hesse hiding over 300 hours of footage of Nkrumah when other preservations of his ideas were destroyed in a coup.
Hesse makes a statement to the effect of, ‘just because you didn’t see something doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.’ Now, in this documentary, we get to see some of that footage for the first time.
The Eyes of Ghana is an inspiring piece for Africans and cinema lovers alike, conveyed beautifully by Proudfoot’s intimate directing, and an incredible, incredible score from Kris Bowers.
I can’t say enough good things about this film. It might have just changed my life.
The Eyes of Ghana is playing at TIFF ’25. For more information, click here.
