Armed with a BFA in Film and Television, 26-year old Henry Denkirya from Ghana is a filmmaker with a passion for photography.
Born in Accra, Henry’s favourite TV shows include The Johnsons andProfessor John Bull, and his favourite films are The Wedding Party and The Roots. He also admires the acting abilities of Nigerian actors Jim Iyke, Mike Ezuruonye, Kenneth Okonkwo, Richard Mofe-Damijo, and Ghana’s Majid Michel. He is also a fan of American actor Denzel Washington.
Of the many African film creatives in the industry, Henry’s favourite is Nigerian director Kemi Adetiba. He admires her because of her ability to employ a lot of creativity in her visuals, and Henry feels that this makes her akin to a cinematographer.
When it comes to the biggest challenge facing the creative film and television industry, Henry is well aware of the need for better art direction.
“Much focus is not the art direction aspect in our African films. Apart from Nigeria, [which] emphasises on that in their traditional scenes, the rest of us are always following the western style making each scene the usual style of mise en scene, costume and makeup,” he says.
As a MultiChoice Talent Factory Academy student, Henry hopes to gain essential experience in his field of work in order to become an experienced and creative cinematographer.