After kicking off his acting career in Ghana some 50 years ago, Ghanaian-born Nollywood actor Emmanuel France says the country’s movie industry is a ‘joke’.

The veteran actor, clearly not amused, noted that after laying a strong foundation five decades ago, the Ghanaian movie industry today is “concert”.

“I started filming, that is to say, acting in Ghana in 1969, that is 50 years ago at the Ghana Film [Industry] Corporation. I took Nollywood to Nigeria, I came back [to Ghana]…for God’s sake, they are still doing concert! It is enunciating…,” he told Andy Dosty in an interview on Daybreak Hitz on Hitz FM.

He recounted that, when legendary movie producer Kwaw Ansah shot ‘Love Brewed in the African Pot’ in 1980, “he says I’m going to build a big studio… we were laughing at him. Look at TV Africa and you come back to this country where [Kwame] Nkrumah established the [Ghana Film Industry Corporation] in 1960 and we are still where we are…look at Cameroon, look at Nigeria…”

Emmanuel France, who has more than 750 movies to his credit, recounted that “I took only four Osofo Dadzie stories to Nigeria and that is what is Nollywood today.”

“I don’t think we are doing too well because we don’t want to spend money on entertainment,” he lamented. Former Nigerian president “Goodluck Jonathan gave N3 billion for entertainment in Nigeria.”

“What started with four Osofo Dadzie stories is today Nollywood with over two million filmmakers in Nigeria…we have misplaced our priorities…this a big country, a golden country the only country linked with gold…it means we are kings…so I think we should wake up,” the veteran actor urged.