Socrate Safo says lost film archives are his ‘biggest mistake’

Veteran Ghanaian filmmaker Socrate Safo says failing to preserve records of his work is one of the biggest mistakes he has made during his career, with important material from more than 100 films now lost.

Safo, a producer whose work spans more than 100 films, said he feels guilty that he did not keep copies of the films, scripts, posters and production documents that charted his contribution to Ghana’s film industry.

He said he did not understand early in his career that those materials could later become valuable historical records. At the time, he had not been advised to treat production documents and promotional material as part of the industry’s wider heritage.

“I blame myself. I haven’t projected myself and my work well. I blame ignorance because I didn’t receive that orientation from the beginning. I didn’t know to keep all these things for the future. I did not have the guidance to understand that films, scripts, posters and production documents would one day become important historical materials,” he was quoted as saying by Adomonline.

Safo believes the absence of a properly preserved archive has also affected how his career is viewed. Although he is now widely recognised as a social commentator, he said his achievements as a filmmaker are often overlooked because much of his work was neither documented nor promoted effectively.

The filmmaker later attempted to recover copies of his productions after recognising the importance of preserving them. However, he said many of the materials had already disappeared by that stage, making it difficult to reconstruct a complete record of his career.

His comments highlight the importance of archiving in Ghana’s creative industries, where films and production records can provide evidence of the country’s cultural and artistic development.

Safo has urged other creatives to take the preservation of their work seriously. He said filmmakers and other industry professionals should ensure that films, scripts, posters and production documents are kept safely so they can remain available to future generations.

The producer’s regret centres not only on the loss of personal records but also on the wider effect of missing documentation. Without copies of earlier productions and the material created around them, the history of his work and its place in Ghana’s film industry becomes harder to assess.

Safo said he did not receive the necessary guidance at the beginning of his career to understand that such items would eventually have historical value. Having since recognised their importance, he wants others to avoid making the same mistake by treating archiving and documentation as essential parts of their creative work.