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Ghanaian-American filmmaker Leila Djansi has advised filmmakers to reconsider relying on YouTube as their primary distribution platform, describing it as unsustainable and ineffective for long-term business.
Speaking on Hitz FM’s Daybreak Hitz with Kwame Dadzie and Doreen Avio, Djansi stressed that filmmakers must explore alternative, more reliable channels rather than place their financial hopes solely on YouTube.
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she questioned,
Personally, I don’t believe in the film fund. I really don’t. I think it is premature because there is no proper distribution. If you give the film fund, how are they going to make profit? People assume they can just put their films on YouTube. I’m sorry, but YouTube is going to collapse very soon. There is so much congestion on the platform, and they are constantly changing their policies. It is seriously over-saturated, and when that happens, they reduce earnings. So how much can you really make if you just upload your film on YouTube?
Djansi emphasised that a government-backed film fund would be ineffective if movies ended up solely on YouTube. She also pointed out that piracy continues to pose a major challenge to filmmakers who depend on the platform for distribution.
she reiterated,
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If you over-saturate it, they’re going to reduce the earnings. So how much are you going to make if you just put your film on YouTube?
Her remarks went beyond YouTube to highlight broader concerns about Ghana’s film industry infrastructure. She maintained that government initiatives to establish a film fund would be “premature” without robust distribution systems to ensure returns on investment.
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According to Djansi, funding filmmakers without addressing distribution gaps would only drain government resources, as platforms like YouTube cannot deliver sustainable financial benefits for the industry.