Advertising Movies with the African Gaze
March 20, 2019 8:59 AM   Subscribe

SOAS London is hosting an exhibition of Ghanaian film posters from the 1980s. These dramatic and highly charged images, usually some six or seven feet high, were conspicuously displayed by the roadside or in prominent public positions to alert filmgoers to the release of new films. Many of these films were made locally in Ghana or imported from Nollywood, Bollywood, and Hollywood. Their iconography emphasised the melodramatic, combining a blend of elements that drew on the local beliefs that intersected with the range of popular imported films, such as the imagery of America's Hollywood and India's Bollywood that were also shown in Ghana.
posted by ChuraChura (8 comments total) 14 users marked this as a favorite
 
Ghanaian Movie Paintings previously. I was sure we had a more direct discussion about them here years ago as well. Regardless, this is an interesting exhibit with great context, thanks for the post.
posted by Popular Ethics at 9:20 AM on March 20, 2019 [1 favorite]


Oh, cool! Specifically, that posts links to this collection of images at "ephemera assembly."
posted by ChuraChura at 9:22 AM on March 20, 2019


Oh man - so cool. Love these. Thank you for the post.
posted by Dressed to Kill at 9:34 AM on March 20, 2019 [1 favorite]


Reminds me of garbage pail kids.
posted by waving at 9:41 AM on March 20, 2019


when my cats wake me up in the morning (a little NSFW)
posted by exogenous at 10:04 AM on March 20, 2019 [2 favorites]


The poster for Total Recall [maybe slightly NSFW] feels a lot more like the movie than the North American posters did.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:23 PM on March 20, 2019 [1 favorite]


These are fantastic!
posted by Dip Flash at 6:10 PM on March 20, 2019


Man that Uncle Sam one rules.
posted by aspersioncast at 8:46 AM on March 21, 2019


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