Akosua-Asamoabea Ampofo is a Ghanaian multidisciplinary artist and storyteller whose work spans photography, documentary filmmaking, podcast production, and playwriting. Co-founder of 715House Productions, she focuses on reshaping global narratives about Africa.
In three sentences, tell us what your selected film is about.
We Won’t Let You Poison Us is a film about courage, hope and persistence in the face of a national ecocide. The film follows environmental activist Awula Serwah, award-winning investigative journalist Erastus Asare Donkor and Father Joseph (JB) Blay a Catholic priest, who show us how “ordinary citizens” working in solidarity with others, even in the face of severe challenges, can galvanise collective action to ensure our freedom to live.The film examines what freedom means when environmental destruction, climate stress, economic pressures and greed converge.
What is the inspiration behind your selected film, and why did you feel it was important to tell it now?
I’m confronted with the consequences of illegal mining daily: there are so many people who don’t have water and those who do can’t guarantee the water is clean. Our forests are being butchered; our food is increasingly unhealthy because the soils have been poisoned with toxic minerals. We’re in an existential crisis. And so, I made this film from a place of desperate urgency. But I also made this film to spark hope, first within myself and then hopefully in others. The problems can sometimes feel overwhelming and daunting, and yet the people we follow in this film are part of a resistance to secure the future of our nation, all Ghanaians. Hope begets hope and I want viewers in Ghana, in particular, to leave the film, not with despair, but with urgency and hope: the fight is not over, and we are not timid.
How does it feel to have your work officially selected for Accra Indie Filmfest 2026 alongside other filmmakers from Ghana and around the world?
Amazing! A real honour! I’ve been to AiF as an audience member and to now have my work be showcased among other moving stories is truly something special. I’m in honoured company.
What was the biggest challenge you faced during production, and how did you overcome it?
Honestly, it was challenging not to allow despair to take over while my team and I listened to stories from activists, scientists and people in communities ravaged by illegal and indiscriminate mining. There is so much we have lost as a nation in terms of biodiversity and nature that was truly upsetting to hear and see. There was a lot of grieving. But hope is a wonderful balm to the spirit and in the same breathe, as I would process what we had lost, it was reassuring to hear people staunchly put their feet down and say, “no more!”
In what ways do you hope audiences connect emotionally or socially with your film?
We live in a historical moment when young people, especially, are experiencing a heightened sense of frustration, anxiety and hopelessness about their future. We Won’t Let You Poison Us offers the hope of freedom from corporate and political greed by sharing the successful efforts of “ordinary” heroes. I hope Ghanaians recognise our collective civil power and reject this notion that we don’t have a fighting spirit.
How do you think platforms like Accra Indie Filmfest are shaping the future of independent filmmaking in Ghana?
Film festivals are essential spaces for indie film makers and AiF is providing a space for independent filmmakers in Ghana to showcase their work with their colleagues and a wide audience. The spaces to showcase our films are still growing on the continent and in this country and the work of AiF is very important for young Ghanaian filmmakers.
What’s next for you after this selection? Are there more projects, collaborations, or festival plans ahead?
We Won’t Let You Poison Us is doing the festival route right now so I hope we get as many eyes on our film as possible. And as for projects, we’re always working; there are so many stories to tell. It’s a blessing to be able to do what I do and be busy doing it.
Any final words for any aspiring filmmaker?
We don’t exist in isolation, there are enough of us. So, make a friend, make a movie. It’s not easy, but it's not impossible.