Leila Djansi warns against overreliance on YouTube for film distribution
11th September 2025
Ghanaian filmmaker Leila Djansi has cautioned industry players against banking their hopes on YouTube as a primary avenue for distributing films, arguing that the platform offers little long-term sustainability.
Speaking on Daybreak Hitz with Kwame Dadzie and Doreen Avio, Djansi explained that the platform’s volatility and oversaturation make it unreliable for serious business.
“I don’t believe in the film fund as it’s being discussed because there’s no proper distribution system in place,” she said. “If you simply hand out money, how will filmmakers make a profit? Too many assume uploading to YouTube will solve the problem.
But the platform is already congested, policies keep changing, and when that happens, revenues drop. How much can you really make from just putting your film there?”
Djansi stressed that government-backed support for filmmakers would fail to deliver returns if films were left to circulate only on YouTube, particularly given the persistent threat of piracy.
“The more saturated YouTube becomes, the less filmmakers earn,” she noted. “Without alternative, structured distribution networks, a film fund will only drain resources.”
Her comments point to a wider concern about Ghana’s film industry: while funding is important, Djansi believes investment must be tied to strengthening distribution channels that guarantee filmmakers sustainable revenue.
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