AMAA Country Director Apologizes to Gloria Sarfo Over Flight Issues

Judith Oluwole Kuwornu, the Country Director for the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) in Ghana, has responded to the recent backlash from actress Gloria Sarfo following the challenges faced by Ghanaian filmmakers with their flight tickets en route to the 2024 AMAA event in Nigeria.

In a candid interview on Hitz FM’s Daybreak Hitz, Judith acknowledged the unfortunate situation but emphasized that she had reached out to Gloria Sarfo with a personal apology. However, she noted that Sarfo continued to express her frustration publicly.

“I have sent her a message of apology, but she kept on doing this, and that’s her problem,” Judith said. “I mean, we are different people from different backgrounds, where we come from, and how we are trained. I’m sorry this happened. I’m also sorry that it’s going this way.”

Judith expressed her disappointment that, despite their close relationship, Sarfo didn’t reach out to her directly to inquire about the situation before taking to social media. “This is somebody that is close to me and could not have communicated with me—’Judith, what happened?’—and all that,” Judith explained.

“She never did that. All I saw was that she was going all over the place. But it’s okay, you know, bad news is sometimes good news. Maybe you are trying to reignite the face of AMAA for us in our own way. We take it like that.”

Despite the public fallout, Judith shared that many veterans from the Ghanaian film community reached out to her privately, expressing understanding and support. “There were so many veterans who called and said, ‘Judith, we understand this thing, so don’t worry. If we get to come, we will come. If we don’t, don’t worry, because you have been doing this with us for the past 20 years, and we’ve never experienced this,'” she added.

Judith also pointed out the logistical challenges that the AMAA organizers face, especially when it comes to arranging flights for attendees. “There are some challenges that you can’t control as an organization,” she explained. “You don’t have the personal airline or jet that you can put your people on and bring them down. It’s not always possible to ensure everything runs perfectly.”

When asked about the specific cause of the flight issues and who was responsible for the mishap, Judith stated that the AMAA organizers would release an official statement or communique addressing the situation.

This exchange comes after Gloria Sarfo, in a scathing social media video posted on November 3, 2024, vented her frustration over the flight issues that disrupted the travel plans of several Ghanaian filmmakers invited to the 20th edition of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), held in Lagos, Nigeria, on November 2, 2024.

In her 15-minute video, Sarfo detailed how she and over a dozen other filmmakers, including renowned names like Abdul Salam Mumuni, Frank Rajah, Pascal Amanfo, and Akorfa Adjeani, were stranded at Kotoka International Airport in Accra due to unresolved flight arrangements.

According to Sarfo, the tickets provided by the AMAA organizers were invalid, preventing them from boarding their flights to Nigeria.

She expressed her frustration, highlighting how the invitation promised an all-expenses-paid trip, including flight arrangements, yet the group was left stranded without any communication from the organizers.

“You can’t tell me that you’re giving me an all-expense-paid trip, and then I get stranded at the airport. It doesn’t work that way,” Sarfo said, adding that the incident caused her to miss several important commitments, including a movie set, a feature film by a colleague, an awards night where she was nominated, and the premiere of her own film.

Sarfo further lamented the lack of communication from the AMAA team, noting that the organizers were aware of the issue but failed to address it in a timely or respectful manner. “It was embarrassing,” Sarfo remarked.

As a result of the flight issues, only 14 out of the 40-plus people from the Ghanaian delegation were able to attend the AMAA event. Despite the travel chaos, the Ghanaian contingent still made a mark at the awards ceremony, with actress Jackie Appiah winning Best Actress in a Lead Role for her performance in Red Carpet, and Harry Bentil securing the Best Debut Feature Film by a Director award for Letters to Goddo.

The incident has cast a shadow over what should have been a celebratory moment for Ghanaian cinema at the prestigious awards, leaving many to question the organizational challenges faced by the AMAA team, and what steps will be taken to prevent such issues in the future.