The official trailer for Ben Proudfoot’s documentary “The Eyes of Ghana” has been released ahead of a one-night theatrical event across the United States and Canada on 28 October 2026.
Directed by the two-time Academy Award winner and executive produced by former U.S. President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, the 90-minute film follows Ghanaian cinematographer Chris Hesse, who served as personal cameraman to Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah.
The documentary chronicles Hesse’s efforts to preserve more than 1,000 films documenting Ghana’s independence and African political history during the 1950s and 1960s. It also follows a younger generation of Ghanaian filmmakers, including Anita Afonu, working to safeguard the archive, culminating in a public screening at Accra’s historic Rex Cinema.
“The Eyes of Ghana” opened the documentary program at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival and subsequently competed at the BFI London Film Festival. It won Best Documentary and the Special Jury Prize at the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) in Lagos, Nigeria, alongside audience awards at several U.S. festivals. Selected sequences were photographed on IMAX 65mm film.
The trailer launch on 15 October also coincides with the announcement that American livestreamer IShowSpeed (Darren Watkins Jr.) has joined the film as a producer, following his January 2026 visit to Ghana.
The 28 October theatrical event is presented by Breakwater Studios and Higher Ground, with screenings at participating AMC, Regal, Cinemark and independent cinemas across the United States and Canada.