Ghana drama

Thanks to our recent series on Ghanaian film (Abro Ne Bayie 1, Abro Ne Bayie 2, and Ghanaian Video Tales), we’ve learned a lot about Ghanaian film. And here are some recent Ghanaian film news stories that you need to know about.

Two movie producers in the city of Kumasi, (home to the Twi movie industry) are fighting over who will be the first to produce a movie called Osama bin Laden.

A fetish priest is demanding four red dogs, four red cats, four red goats, and four red fowls from the producer of the movie Diawuo, to pacify his gods, because a fetish priest in the film has the same last name as him.

The rest of the stories all concern director/producer Socrates Sarfo, whose name keeps popping up whenever I research anything about Ghanaian film. Socrates is nicknamed “Hot Fork Man”, probably because he had a sex film called Hot Fork. Socrates Sarfo has gotten into arguments with the censorship board over the difference between erotic films and porno films.

Socreates Sarto shaved the pubic hair of one of his actresses in What Sex Can Do because she wasn’t doing it interestingly enough. This has led to problems on the release of the film.

Socrates Sarfo may or may not have pulled a gun on actress Mercy Asiedu over the title of his film Greedy Bastards. But he at least got into a fight, which caused a court date.

And my favorite story, Socrates Sarfo may be collecting the sperm of actors for juju! You might think this story sounds crazy, but this is Socrates Sarfo, and anything is possible!

Socrates Sarfo

Gimme your sperms!

Edison Chen dated 16 year old model Cammi Xie

Edison Chen just can’t stay out of trouble. Word is the 31 year old Chen dated a 16 year old model named Cammi Xie Zhuhui. And by word, I mean photos of them kissing turned up online! You would think by now Edison would have better sense than to take controversial photos of him and girls! Both now insist that they are no longer dating.

Cammi Xie is trying to claim she didn’t know anything about the scandal because she’s too young. That’s totally believable, except for the fact that it isn’t. The Edison Chen scandal/Sexy Photos Gate was the biggest story out of Hong Kong that year, and is still brought up all the freaking time today.

Of course, Cammi (a member of the model group Fantasy) is no stranger to weird fame, as she originally made headlines in August when a male model got her drunk and tried to rape her. Someone keep this girl away from every male ever!

More info:

Edison has also spoken about the photos and revealed he split from Vincy, his girlfriend of 5 years, “I had mixed feelings after reading the reports. I broke up with Vincy Yang about six months ago. I felt horrible about falling out of love. When I met Cammi, I thought we could give it a try. We had just begun our relationship when [the leaking of the photo] happened. I’ve nothing more to say, other than I’m currently single. ”

Cammi’s management believes the photos were leaked from her phone, which she lost last Thursday. The photos have gone viral since the leak, though (thankfully) none of them are of a sexually explicit nature.

And let’s hear it for scandal with this quote:

“I didn’t have sex with him! I’m only 16,” Cammi shouted.

Ah, respectable journalism (says the guy talking about this scandal for cheap web hits!)

Here are the photos of Edison and Cammi, along with some random Cammi Xie photos:
Edison Chen Cammi Xie
Edison Chen Cammi Xie
Edison Chen Cammi Xie
Edison Chen Cammi Xie
Edison Chen Cammi Xie
Cammie Xie Zhuhui
Cammie Xie Zhuhui
Cammie Xie Zhuhui
Cammie Xie Zhuhui
Cammie Xie Zhuhui
Cammie Xie Zhuhui
Cammie Xie Zhuhui

Ghanaian Video Tales

Ghanaian Video Tales


2004
Directed by Tobias Wendl

Ghanaian cinema has become more know worldwide, but where it comes from and how it is made is still a big mystery. Ghanaian Video Tales helps bring up information on the beginnings of the 80s video boom, and the producers and directors who helped make it happen and their involvement in film through 2001. Ghanaian Video Tales is most interested in the horror films coming out of Ghana, the interviews and clips are all geared in that direction. The influence of the church is mentioned, but as far as anyone who watches this knows, every film that comes out of Ghana is a horror film. We know that isn’t true, so there are still stories to be told.

The documentary goes over some of the more famous bits of Ghanaian film, from the hand painted movie posters to the vhs tape distribution to buildings packed with kids watching films off of a vcr. There is talk of growing up going to Accra cinemas (which played mostly Indian and kung fu films) and how those stories helped influence the types of stories the directors want to tell themselves.

But first, a Director/Producer Roll Call!

Richard Quartey
Producer and Director, and special effects and makeup guy who is very enthusiastic about his makeup effects and making films in general. Well read, especially horror books or reference of the occult. Some of the best parts are him showing off his book collection, including Sir Rider Haggard’s She Who Must Be Obeyed, an Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology, many other books about the Devil (including Billy Graham’s!), and a Halloween makeup book that is used as a makeup inspiration for actual Ghanaian horror films. He entered the video industry back in the 80s, and likes writing dark stories with Jesus salvations.
Socrate Safo
Producer and Director, gives the most inspired comments about the video industry, but is one of the least featured directors. Which is a shame, considering how his name keeps popping up as a character in all the research I do on Ghanaian film.
William Akuffo
Producer and director, it was his idea to shoot on video and edit with two film decks in the beginning of Ghanaian film. Does witchcraft and juju money films even though he doesn’t believe in them, because those films sell.
Bob Smith Jr
Producer, director, writer, actor. Originally a star of films, became well known as the star of the Diabolo horror film series. Was illegally working in Holland and thrown in jail where he wrote Diabolo 3 script. Is often compared to Christopher Lee in Ghanaian media. Stars in his own productions more often than the other producer/directors. Some people think he actually can turn into snakes like his Diabolo character.
Ashiagbor Akwetey Kanyi
producer and director who isn’t featured much in the documentary, but wants to bring more modern special effects to Ghanaian films

Flying Swords of Dragon Gate 3D – Posters and Stills

Feast your eyes on some posters and stills for Flying Swords of Dragon Gate 3D released ahead of the American Film Market. Tsui Hark directs this return to Inn-based wuxia swordplay films, starring Jet Li, Zhou Xun, Chen Kun, Kwai Lun-Mei, Mavis Fan Hiu-Huen, Fan Siu-Wong, and Li Yuchun
Flying Swords of Dragon Gate
Flying Swords of Dragon Gate
Flying Swords of Dragon Gate
Flying Swords of Dragon Gate Jet LiFlying Swords of Dragon Gate Zhou Xun
Flying Swords of Dragon Gate Chen Kun

Sina via Roast Pork Sliced From A Rusty Cleaver

Battle of the Cursed: The Two Kings

Battle of the Cursed: The Two Kings is for those of you who think that Twilight and True Blood don’t have enough MMA battles between the vampires and werewolves, and also desire random swordfights. The trailer looks awesome in a way that I didn’t think was possible.

The plot: Ancient races of werewolves and vampires co-exist. After centuries of war, they have spent the past few decades keeping an uneasy peace. That peace is about to crumble in the Georgia town of Valdosta.

Roy Kirkland and Doug Sebastian are the dudes responsible for this. Be sure to tell them via their site DSPMovies that you demand were-bunnies for the sequel!

Left Behind is back to leave you behind again!

You remember those Left Behind movies starring Kirk Cameron based on those Left Behind books that are perpetually on sale at Wal-Mart and show up all the time at thrift stores, but you haven’t bothered to read them or watch the films because they’re awful awful awful? Well, now you have a new Left Behind film to not watch, a big budget version that will be focusing more on the disaster sequences than the actual story about a gay baby who is the Anti-Christ.

Paul Lalonde and John Patus are shopping around the idea to make this, budgeted at $15 million, just low enough that this will turn a profit no matter how horrible it is. Will they go the extra mile and make the Anti-Christ Obama? We shall see…

Left Behind geese

This was the best random result from Google Image Search ever!

via BeyondHollywood

Picture via here