An elderly man with silver hair wearing a colorful patterned shirt examines a film reel held in a blue container while standing in front of metal shelves filled with film reels.

Africa Film Fest Australia The Eyes Of Ghana Introduced by Effie Nkrumah

  • Cinema
  • Australian premiere

See more from Africa Film Fest Australia. Book both screenings and save $10.

  • Playhouse
  • Run time: 90 minutes, plus 5 minute intro Subject to change
  • Seating map

Australian Premiere

United States & Ghana l 2025 | English, Twi & Ga l Documentary | G

At ninety-three, Ghanaian documentarian Chris Hesse is racing against blindness and time. As the personal cinematographer to Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president and one of the defining figures of African independence, Hesse filmed a nation transforming before his eyes. His camera recorded political awakening, public celebration, Pan-African ambition and the complicated birth of a new republic.

After the 1966 coup that removed Nkrumah from power, much of that visual history vanished from public view. More than a thousand surviving films remained overseas, largely unseen and inaccessible to the people whose history they contained. Now Hesse is determined to rescue, restore and repatriate the archive before his sight fails and before another generation grows up without seeing these images.

Two-time Academy Award-winning director Ben Proudfoot follows Hesse’s mission as both an archival quest and an intimate portrait of a master filmmaker approaching the final chapter of his life. Yet The Eyes of Ghana is not only about recovering the past. Hesse shares his knowledge with younger Ghanaian filmmakers, including Anita Afonu, creating a bridge between the generation that filmed independence and the artists who will decide how Ghana’s stories are seen next.

Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature at the Hamptons International Film Festival, The Eyes of Ghana has been hailed by TheWrap as "a superb movie" and praised by Screen Daily as "a rich, celebratory film" honouring one of Africa's forgotten cinematic pioneers.

Screening as part of Africa Film Fest Australia 2026.

Presented by Sydney Opera House and Africa Film Fest Australia. Co-presented by Ghana Association and Ghanaian Australian Women’s Association.

Event details

A tribute to the power of storytelling.

Next Best Picture

A deeply moving examination of the power of documentary films.

POV Magazine

History can live alongside our present.

The Contending

Cast and credits

Director Ben Proudfoot

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Attending this event

Practical information about this event, ticketing and visiting. If you have questions or need help, see our general terms and conditions for tickets and events or contact us.

Ticket information

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Plan your visit

Address

Sydney Opera House
Bennelong Point
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

Getting to the venue

The Opera House is a 7-10 minute walk from Circular Quay, and is easily accessible by car, train, ferry, lightrail, bus, bike and on foot.

Location and access

Playhouse

The Playhouse is located in the north-western corner of Sydney Opera House, best accessed through the Western Foyers.

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