David Dontoh describes Kumawood movies as “tomato videos”

While clarifying comments attributed to him in the media that he had said Kumawood movies were disgracing Ghana, Mr Dontoh told DJ Premier, host of Entertainment Capital on Accra 100.5fm Saturday April 23, that: “I did not say Kumawood movies were disgracing Ghana. I actually used an expression that they were tomato videos, meaning [they have] a very short lifespan and I have been proved right”.

“Agya Koo has acted in so many movies; which one do you remember? You will only maybe remember the title and that is all. But there are movies we did in the past, over 30 years, you can still tell the story – Deadly Voyage, Kukurantumi Road to Accra, Heritage Africa, you name them, there are so many of such movies.”

Mr Dontoh said in addition to entertainment, movies capture the culture of the people, hence must be produced well.

“Apart from watching movies to entertain you, it is also a document of history and it captures the culture of the people at a point in time. So, film is even a good material for research. When you watch Kukurantumi [Road to Accra] and see how Accra Central looked like at that period, you will be surprised that that same Accra is how it looks like today.

“Film is a very important material. It advertises the country and everything produced. In England, the British government can support a James Bond movie with millions of dollars and use the film to sell new products they have created. After the movie, if you see the product on the market, you will buy and they use the film to promote the product…”

He bemoaned the copycat attitude of Ghanaian filmmakers, saying: “We here copy too much and some actors even speak like Nigerians.”