Elizabeth Johnson is a Ghanaian –Nigerian avid reader and lover of the Creative Arts. She is also a writer and has worked with various online platforms as an editor and content creator. She also produces a literary radio show and has worked as a festival administrator. Her story was featured in the 2017 Independence anthology by Afridiaspora. Her play has been staged by African Theater Workshop and she is the 2018 winner of the Random Thoughts writing Prize.

Over the past year, African movie lovers and dedicated followers are being treated to a new era of movies coming out from the growing and fast developing industry sharpening their cinematic and storytelling tools to attract the world to Africa’s beautiful art of storytelling and visuals.

Movie scriptwriters, directors and producers are on a mission to bring original and captivating movies from Africa that showcase the diversity of the continent and what it has to offer the world, many of which have since picked up several international awards, bagged great reviews from revered film critiques and contracted to be shown in huge cinemas and movie apps such as Netflix.

One such movie that promises to capture the hearts of many with its uniqueness is Gold Coast Lounge, an Afro Noir feature film starring some of Ghana’s most seasoned actors both young and old including Grace Nortey, Fred Amugi, Akofa Edjeani and Adjetey Anang.

Movie Director , Pascal Aka

Directed and produced by Pascal Aka and Esi Yamoah, Gold Coast Lounge takes place in the heart of Ghana about a family of criminals that has to clean up its act before the government shuts down their private lounge. After the owner has been mysteriously poisoned, it’s left to his oldest son, Daniel, to take the stool. Implementing his policies, Daniel runs into major problems of love triangles, power struggles, tribalism and murder.

Movie Producer Esi Yamoah

The movie is an ambitious attempt to create a new sub-genre of its own called Afro-Noir. A style that utilizes some basic techniques of the black and white film noir era from the 40s and blends it with African classic traditional, afro- jazz, funk and highlife music and culture. A new way to present film noir and a new way to present the African vintage culture and its cinema.

Also playing a role in the movie, Pascal Aka, owner of Breakthrough Studios works with an amazing team that creates a world in black and white celebrating the infectious sound of highlife music and showcases an African vintage culture from Ghana. “I was inspired to write Gold Coast Lounge because it wasn’t something that I’ve seen before with people who looked like me. I wanted to create a beautiful and passionate story that would be remembered for centuries to come. I wanted to create something fresh and new from an African’s point of view,” said Pascal.

Also speaking on the movie, Producer Esi Yamoah said, “There is nothing like working with a group of people who are as passionate about telling Ghanaian stories as they are. I knew it was a perfect fit.”

The movie explores the question of what it really means to be independent as Ghana celebrates 62 years of independence and its celebration of the “Year of Return” and encourages people from the African Diaspora to return back home. Pascal and Esi, both returnees, believe that everyone one day must return back home.

Gold Coast Lounge fuses the classical American noir aesthetics with the rich African culture. It blends drama, music, suspense, romance, and action while making several political statements about Ghana and other West African countries that are struggling with corruption, greed, deceit and civil war on various levels.

The movie is set to be released later in the year.