Some Film Producers Wanted To End My Dreams - Yvonne Nelson
Ghanaian actress and movie producer, Yvonne Nelson, has opened up about the challenges she faced in the movie industry, revealing that the Film Producers Association of Ghana (FIPAG) attempted to sabotage her career. According to Yvonne, her outspoken nature and willingness to address issues in the industry led to her being banned by FIPAG. She shared this while speaking on The Career Trail program on JoyNews and Joy Learning TV.
“I was banned by a group of men in the industry. They call themselves FIPAG. Something happened on set and they got together. When you are a woman and you are vocal; when you are unhappy with things around you, and you want to talk about them, people just don’t like that. They feel you just came into the industry. Why are you talking too much, why are you complaining too much. That was what I faced, because they felt like I complained about everything that I was unhappy about.
“I believe in their minds, they wanted to intimidate, they wanted to end my dreams, they wanted to teach me a lesson, and they wanted to silence me as a young girl in the industry,” she said. Following the ban, Yvonne revealed that she started her own production company, ‘YN Productions’, with support from people like Kelvin Kobiri, who is into ministry now.
“I just decided that I can do my own thing. I can produce my own movies. Why don’t I try? So, I registered a company around that time and I started producing my movies,” “I met a gentleman named, Kelvin Kobri. He is into ministry now. He believed in me just like Abdul Salam believed in me. He funded my first 2 to 3 movies,” she further expanded. Despite her determination, the actress mentioned that she faced so much sabotage.
She recalled that one of the most devastating incidents was when her first production was stolen while it was in the editing process.
“The first production got stolen after editing. Armed robbers entered the editor’s studio and stole all his drives. We lost everything we had shot. I believe it was a sabotage. They knew Yvonne, we banned her, what is she doing again? She is producing, okay, we shall see. So, I felt that there was a lot of hate going on in the industry. Till date, I don’t know who did that, but it is obvious,” she stated. Undeterred, Yvonne and her team had to reshoot the entire production, which came at a significant cost.
The actress disclosed that, due to her resilience, she has successfully produced 14 movies, including Kotoka, Heels and Sneakers, and several others. She also hinted that her upcoming movie, Summer, is set to be released soon. Reflecting on her journey, Yvonne admitted that her experience in the film industry had been far from easy. “For me, I have been through a lot as an actor and producer. I have seen the industry, I have tasted the hate, the greatness, and the goodness. It can be a toxic place.
If you are not strong enough, I don’t think you would last,” she stated. Last week, we introduced the 4th episode of The Career Trail New Edition, diving into the early life of Yvonne Nelson. This Saturday, April 5, we will dive into the second part of the conversation, which focuses on her journey as a school owner and an author. The episode will air at 4pm on Joy Learning TV and at 6pm on Joy News. Stay tuned
