MONTREAL — September 2026 — Ghana’s cinematic history will take center stage in Montreal this month as The Eyes of Ghana opens the 22nd Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF) with its Quebec premiere on Wednesday, September 23.

The screening will take place at Théâtre Outremont at 7 p.m. as the festival launches its 2026 edition, running from September 23–27. The festival program features 70 films from 21 countries, making the opening-night presentation of The Eyes of Ghana a significant moment for African cinema and the preservation of Ghanaian history. (Montreal Black Film Festival)

Directed by Canadian filmmaker and two-time Academy Award winner Ben Proudfoot, The Eyes of Ghana follows Chris Hesse, the 93-year-old Ghanaian filmmaker who served as personal cinematographer to Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah.

Hesse’s cameras captured one of the most transformative periods in modern African history: Ghana’s independence, the rise of Pan-African political consciousness and the emergence of newly independent African states during the 1950s and 1960s.

At the heart of the documentary is an extraordinary archive of more than 1,000 films. As Hesse faces advancing blindness and the passage of time, he undertakes a mission to preserve and repatriate this historical record—footage that provides an intimate visual account of Africa’s transition from colonial rule toward independence. (L’initiative)

The Montreal presentation carries additional significance because the film is being presented as part of a festival dedicated to expanding the visibility of Black filmmakers and stories from around the world. The screening will also be preceded by a tribute to Quebec producer Éric Idriss-Kanago, who will receive the MIBFF Avant-Garde Award. (Le petit septième)

Following the film, producer Nana Adwoa Frimpong is scheduled to participate in a question-and-answer session with the audience. Tickets for the opening-night screening are listed at $35. (RestoMontreal.ca)

For audiences interested in Ghanaian history, Pan-Africanism and African visual culture, The Eyes of Ghana represents more than a documentary screening. It is an encounter with an archive created at the moment when an African nation was redefining its place in the world.

Hesse’s footage offers something particularly valuable: history through the eyes of someone who was there with a camera.

As the film arrives in Montreal, the story of Ghana’s independence—and the struggle to preserve its visual memory—will reach a new generation of audiences.

The Eyes of Ghana
Quebec Premiere / MIBFF Opening Night
Wednesday, September 23, 2026 — 7:00 PM
Théâtre Outremont, Montreal
MIBFF: September 23–27, 2026