Ola Michael urges stricter rules to curb insults in Ghanaian films

Ghanaian

Movie producer Ola Michael has called upon the Film Classification Committee to enforce stricter regulations to combat the rising use of strong language and insults in Ghanaian films.

His plea comes in the wake of actor Agya Koo's critique of the prevalence of insults and explicit content in local movies.

Speaking on Daybreak Hitz on Hitz FM, Ola Michael

Read full articleacknowledged the pervasive nature of insults in Ghanaian cinema but stressed that their excessive presence has created a culture where films are only valued if they include numerous scenes featuring insults.

He highlighted the spill-over effect into real life, where individuals seek attention on social media by creating content centered around insults or using them as comedic elements.

Ola Michael suggested that the Classification Committee should adopt stricter measures, including instructing producers to reduce strong language, mandating scene removals, assigning higher age ratings, and restricting exhibition in certain venues or time slots.

“If you bring a movie for classification, they can take a look and tell you ‘there’s too much strong language, go and take some of them out, else we rate the movie 18 or 16’. This means there are certain places you can't show the movie, and if it is for TV you cannot show it at certain times,” explained the movie producer.

He argued that such measures would compel producers to be more cautious about content creation, considering its impact on distribution and audience accessibility.

Ola Michael also advocated for the creation of well-structured scripts to minimize ad-libbing, which often leads to the spontaneous use of insults for comedic effect.

This follows actor Agya Koo's expression of concern on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z, where he criticized the depiction of graphic content and insults in movies, citing their adverse effects on societal morals, especially among young viewers.

Agya Koo stressed that children exposed to these films could easily adopt negative behaviors, including the use of insults, and be influenced by explicit scenes.

He revealed his consistent efforts to advise filmmakers against such practices, fearing they could drive audiences towards foreign productions.

Despite facing resistance, Agya Koo expressed gratitude for the support received from some filmmakers who shared his concerns.