Story is king – Leila Djansi calls for system-based filmmaking

Filmmaker Leila Djansi has called for a fundamental shift in how African film industries are organised, urging a move away from ego-driven production toward collective systems that prioritise storytelling.

Comparing Anglophone West African cinema to other global industries, Djansi noted that successful film ecosystems are built on structure, not personalities.

“Now look at Francophone Africa, East Africa, South Africa, Bollywood, Hollywood, Europe,” she said. “Those industries were not built around individuals. They were built around systems.”

She cited funding frameworks, guilds and development pipelines as key drivers of sustainability. “Systems that protect excellence and submit to story,” she explained in Facebook post sighted by MyNewsGh.

Djansi also criticised what she described as an obsession with Western validation. “Always looking to the West.

“Not for collaboration, but for validation. Not participation,” she said, mocking popular slogans such as “Ghana to the world” and “we’re on the map.”

According to her, true film excellence requires discipline and collective purpose. “Film excellence is not self-serving. It is collective. It disciplines ego. It delays gratification. It serves story,” she stated.

She concluded by reaffirming her guiding principle as a filmmaker: “Because ultimately, story is king.”

Djansi ended her reflection by outlining her personal focus for the year ahead: “My 2026 is for faith, film, food and family.”