Renowned Ghanaian filmmaker Shirley Frimpong-Manso is set to make her prestigious debut at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2025 with her much-anticipated Nollywood feature, Stitches.

The film, produced by Chris Odeh under BRS Studios, marks a significant milestone in her illustrious career and expands her footprint into the Nigerian film space.

Speaking about the project, Shirley revealed that the story of Stitches left an indelible mark on her:

“I spent over a month in Lagos working on my first Nollywood film, and the experience was unforgettable. The story offered me refuge on my hardest days, a world of love, loss, family, and judgment that felt achingly familiar yet refreshingly new.”

On the film’s official selection at TIFF, she expressed her gratitude to BRS Studios for entrusting her with the project, adding that she is excited about the opportunities it opens for future collaborations.

“I’m thankful to BRS Studios for trusting me with this beautiful film. This recognition at TIFF fuels my drive, and I’m eagerly looking forward to more exciting and challenging projects from around the world.”

With Stitches, Shirley Frimpong-Manso not only bridges Ghanaian and Nigerian cinema but also reinforces her standing as one of Africa’s most versatile and visionary directors. Her TIFF debut signals yet another step forward for African storytelling on the global stage.

One of Ghana’s most respected gospel music producers, Mr. John Mensah Sarpong, has expressed concern over the future of male gospel musicians in Ghana. In an exclusive interview with Kpdonline.net, the JMS Music Productions CEO predicted that it could take up to 12 years to produce another male gospel superstar like Joe Mettle, Ernest Opoku, Kweku Gyasi, etc

According to Mr. Sarpong, the downfall is largely due to selfishness among current male gospel artists, whose disregard for producers and executive investors has discouraged meaningful investment in the industry. He lamented that respected producers such as Big Ben and he have now diverted into other ventures, including selling mobile phones, due to the lack of return and appreciation from musicians.

He warned that unless these artists change their ways and adopt a more respectful, collaborative attitude, the industry risks stagnation. Mr. Sarpong concluded with a prophetic caution: “The saying shall come to pass if they do not play safe.”

Films made with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) will be able to win top awards at the Oscars, according to its organisers.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued new rules on Monday which said the use of AI and other digital tools would “neither help nor harm the chances of achieving a nomination”.

Generative AI – which can create text, images, audio and video in response to simple text prompts – helped to produce some of the films awarded top industry accolades in March.

But the Academy said it would still consider human involvement when selecting its winners.

The Academy said its new language around eligibility for films made using generative AI tools was recommended by its Science and Technology Council.

Under further rule changes announced on Monday, Academy members must now watch all nominated films in each category in order to be able to take part in the final round of voting, which decides upon winners.

The use of AI in film became a hot topic after Adrian Brody took home the award for Best Actor for his role in The Brutalist at this year’s Oscars ceremony in March.

The movie used generative AI to improve the actor’s accent when he spoke Hungarian.

It then emerged similar voice-cloning technology was used to enhance singing voices in the Oscar-winning musical Emilia Perez.

The technology’s ability to quickly alter or match the tone and style of an artist, or perform edits such as subtly changing someone’s appearance, has helped it become more popular in the production of music and film.

But AI use remains controversial, and artists and actors have voiced concerns over the material used to train such tools and its impact upon their livelihoods.

Concerns and limitations

Actors and screenwriters previously highlighted fears about losing work to AI during the 2023 strikes in Hollywood.