In response to actress Gloria Sarfo’s video in which she criticized the award organizers for handling the flight problems experienced by several Ghanaian filmmakers on route to Nigeria for the ceremony, Judith Oluwole Kuwornu, the Country Director for the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) in Ghana, has spoken out.
After verifying that she had apologised to Gloria, Judith admitted that the situation was regrettable. Instead of voicing her concerns privately, she was disappointed that Gloria went public with her feelings. “I’m sorry this happened and that it’s being handled this way,” remarked Judith. “We all come from different backgrounds, and while I understand her feelings, it would have been nice if she had reached out to me first.”
Judith mentioned that despite the situation, she was approached by other veteran filmmakers who were stuck at the airport, offering their understanding and support. She stressed that the organizers can’t control all problems because they don’t have their own airline to handle travel.
Judith said that the organizers would release a formal statement later when questioned about the details of the problem and who was at fault.
In a 15-minute social media video posted on November 3, 2024, Gloria Sarfo vented her frustrations over the flight issues that Ghanaian filmmakers invited to the AMAA ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria, on November 2, 2024, had. Over fifteen media professionals and filmmakers were left stranded at Kotoka International Airport after the organizers’ tickets did not enable them to board their flights, she claimed.
The all-expenses-paid trip that was promised to them did not materialize, and Gloria missed out on a number of crucial events because of it, including a film shoot and an awards ceremony where she was nominated, as Gloria pointed out. She said it was embarrassing and inconsiderate because AMAA didn’t inform them of their questionable flights.
Consequently, just fourteen out of forty-five members of the Ghanaian squad were able to make it to the ceremony. Actress Jackie Appiah of Ghana took up the prize for Best Actress in a Lead Role for her work in “Red Carpet,” while Harry Bentil was named Best Debut Feature Film Director for “Letters to Goddo.”
