ACP-EU cooperation support programme for the ACP cinema and audiovisual sectors (ACP FILMS)
GEORGE AMPONSAH - Director
ACP LOCATION: United Kingdom
Bio: George Amponsah is a critically acclaimed producer/director who recently finished his latest feature length documentary The Fighting Spirit - a story about 3 young boxers, 2 men and a woman who fight their way out of an impoverished shantytown in Ghana to the rings of New York and London for the biggest prizes in the sport.
The Fighting Spirit was produced with Guardian Films and funded by CBA DFID, Channel 4 Brit Doc and ITVS. The film has been sold to PBS in America and ARTE-France. More information can be found at thefightingspirit.net.
In 2004 George directed and produced The Importance of Being Elegant about a bizarre cult of fashion lead by the flamboyant Congolese singer – Papa Wemba. The feature doc aired on BBC2 as a flagship instalment of the channel’s Storyville strand. The film took 2 years to complete and received widespread critical acclaim. It was short listed for 2005’s Grierson Award and won Best Documentary at The Zanzibar Film Festival.
A glowing endorsement of these films has come from multi award-winning documentary maker Kim Longinotto (Sisters in Law, Divorce Iranian Style). In 2008 Kim asked George to appear alongside her at a BAFTA event to discuss the challenges of making long-form observational documentaries.
George is a graduate of The UK’s prestigious National Film and Television School where he won a Post-Office Scholarship to attend the documentary directing course. He also has a Kodak award winning commercials show reel and has worked with a number of top-flight television production companies over the years.
A selection of George’s work can be viewed at georgeamponsah.com
At present he is developing several new documentary projects; and is writing a script for a feature length drama. .
ACP LOCATION: United Kingdom
Bio: George Amponsah is a critically acclaimed producer/director who recently finished his latest feature length documentary The Fighting Spirit - a story about 3 young boxers, 2 men and a woman who fight their way out of an impoverished shantytown in Ghana to the rings of New York and London for the biggest prizes in the sport.
The Fighting Spirit was produced with Guardian Films and funded by CBA DFID, Channel 4 Brit Doc and ITVS. The film has been sold to PBS in America and ARTE-France. More information can be found at thefightingspirit.net.
In 2004 George directed and produced The Importance of Being Elegant about a bizarre cult of fashion lead by the flamboyant Congolese singer – Papa Wemba. The feature doc aired on BBC2 as a flagship instalment of the channel’s Storyville strand. The film took 2 years to complete and received widespread critical acclaim. It was short listed for 2005’s Grierson Award and won Best Documentary at The Zanzibar Film Festival.
A glowing endorsement of these films has come from multi award-winning documentary maker Kim Longinotto (Sisters in Law, Divorce Iranian Style). In 2008 Kim asked George to appear alongside her at a BAFTA event to discuss the challenges of making long-form observational documentaries.
George is a graduate of The UK’s prestigious National Film and Television School where he won a Post-Office Scholarship to attend the documentary directing course. He also has a Kodak award winning commercials show reel and has worked with a number of top-flight television production companies over the years.
A selection of George’s work can be viewed at georgeamponsah.com
At present he is developing several new documentary projects; and is writing a script for a feature length drama. .