Obama-Executive-Produced Documentary 'The Eyes of Ghana' Gets One-Night North American Cinema Release on October 28
Breakwater Studios and Higher Ground, the production company founded by former U.S. President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, will bring the documentary 'The Eyes of Ghana' to cinemas across the United States and Canada for a one-night-only screening on Wednesday, October 28, according to an exclusive report by Variety. Participating exhibitors include Regal, AMC and Cinemark alongside select independent cinemas, with tickets and showtimes available through the film's official website. The film's official trailer, released by Higher Ground, accompanies this report.
Directed by two-time Academy Award winner Ben Proudfoot and executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, the film follows 93-year-old Ghanaian cinematographer Chris Hesse, who served as personal cameraman to Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first president. Hesse preserved more than 1,000 reels of footage documenting Ghana's independence and the wider African liberation movements of the 1950s and 1960s. After Nkrumah was overthrown in a military coup in 1966, the footage remained hidden for decades. With his eyesight now failing, Hesse is racing to rescue and restore the archive so future generations can see this history.
Shot in part on IMAX 65mm film, the documentary premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival and won both the Special Jury Prize and Best Documentary at the 2025 Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF).
Streaming creator IShowSpeed, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr., has joined the film as a producer and shared its official trailer with his audience. In a statement, he said his visit to Ghana earlier this year had deepened his appreciation of the country and its people: 'His camera captured the birth of African independence, and his determination to preserve those images has ensured that future generations can witness it for themselves. I'm humbled by his legacy and proud to help bring his story to my community.'
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 加纳首都 Accra 独立广场的黑星门，门楣刻有「AD 1957」与「Freedom and Justice」（Matti Blume 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons）。 / The Black Star Gate at Independence Square in Accra, Ghana, inscribed 'AD 1957' and 'Freedom and Justice' (photo by Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons).
