Baff Akoto on his directorial debut Football Fables

Janine Dyer

Football Fables is the compelling documentary that gives an insight into football recruitment in Ghana and the issues faced by young players. Directed and produced by newcomer Baff Akoto the 52 minute film is released in the UK on June 4th. Catch a Vibe met up with Baff to discuss his directorial debut.

Catch a Vibe: How did you find and select Francis Boadi for the focus of the film? Was there a list of other candidates? If so what made him stand out?
Baff Akoto: This is a completely independent production as in there was no care master just myself. There was luxury in being able to start filming a type of project with an as yet undiscovered narrative. You plan and plan but ultimately what happens in front of the camera becomes the story.

One of the strategies we had in terms of how to construct the kind of narrative and overview of football in Ghana was to spend some time with the under 17 football team. At the time they had just finished quite a successful tournament, the Under 17 World Cup in South Korea. Ghana Under 17 team, called the Starlets, had made the final and had beaten Brazil and had a very good tournament. So a lot of these boys were being courted by big clubs in Europe.

We first hooked up with this bunch of boys a month or so into filming, after filming some current Ghanaian stars based in Scotland, England etc. The squad came to England to tour and play a couple of matches, so we wangled access to hang out with them at the hotel and in the fitting rooms and were with them 24/7. That is where we got to know some of those boys. As we spent time with them we had a few favourites; guys who had interesting stories, personalities and characters. So we developed a shortlist.

But it was only when we got to Ghana that everything was conceptualised for us, we joined the dots and Francis’ back story and situation became compelling to me. And he is a nice guy. As close as he was [to a contract] he was struggling. Some of the other guys were beginning to lose focus. For Francis the closer he got the further away he seemed to be getting. I could relate to that. I really admired his work and determination and I wished him well and I really wanted to see what would happen to him.

Francis Boadi

CAV: What has happened to Francis since the film?
Baff Akoto: On a personal level I spoke to him a few weeks back. He was in Bosnia. He wasn’t happy but he was on a trial with a club and doing what he has to do. I spoke to his manager more recently and he has moved onto a team in Cyprus for a trial and I am sure the climate suits him a lot better. Since we stopped filming he has been on at least five, six different trials around Europe. He will not stop.

CAV: What is your personal opinion on recruitment in African football? Do you think that the academies and ‘managers’ are for the most part genuine?
Baff Akoto: Have you seen the film The Blind Side? The question at the end of the film is the question you can ask about the manager. Kwame (football manager) does get financial gain and Francis does work in his business. In the past Kwame has managed individuals who have gone on to play for Ghana even down to this World Cup. They need such a figure to guide their careers.

These managers are more akin to benefactors. Francis and his manager make no bones about the financial arrangement; he is supported by his manager. Should a deal come to fruition Kwame will benefit the most out of it. Francis is very aware of this. No one is hiding anything.

My attitude to it was to withhold judgement because this is a world that has its own rules. Every sphere has its own rules. These are the rules and engagement when churning out grass roots players to become superstars. This is what needs to happen to get them from the fields of Ghana to the premiership.

I think the film shows a couple of different ways to recruit players. I chose to look at people who, whether it was Tom and Joe at the Academy or Kwame the manager or Abedi ‘Pele’Ayew everyone featured in the film has in the past produced a professional top class football player. The Academy is different because their charges are younger but even they have players at Fulham, Belgium and Portugal. Abedi Pele produced players like Ahmed Barusso. Kwame’s former charges play here in the UK. They all have a track record. The reason I say that is because you do have people scamming. My interest was in looking at how players are bred.

CAV: Was that your message in the film? To see how players are bred?
Baff Akoto: That is what I wanted to see. That’s what I wanted to learn about. What happens to those that don’t make it. That is why I found Tom and Joe’s academy so interesting because from the beginning they look to provide for that probability that you won’t make it. So they focus on education, on leveraging their football skills for personal gain. They do something that can be a template for a lot more boys to benefit from their skills. They give a tangible viable alternative. For example to get a scholarship and degree from an American University that would normally be unattainable.

Yaw

Look at 12 year old Yaw. His determination is born out of necessity. If from a very early age you are aware that you have very limited options then you focus on those options. Intelligence is innate. It does not matter how old you are. You can analyse your situation and surroundings and see your options. Without football Yaw will not get the opportunity to go to university in America. Part of the reason he’s thinking that way is because of the academy. They stress that you think of football not just as the razzmatazz Premiership life. You have to play the odds and use your education too.

Tom Vernon (the academy owner) makes the point that you have to be psychologically ready. You cannot just be satisfied to be signed and then just sit on the bench and be a reserve team player, you have to excel and fight for a first time place. You have to realise that leaving Ghana is not the be all and end all. Leaving is just the beginning.

CAV: You have said that you were going to Ghana for a football tournament and decided to film your experience. Can you describe the process it took from you having an idea and it becoming Football Fables?
Baff Akoto: I knew I wanted to make films and that coincided with quite a big tournament happening in Ghana. I had not been to Ghana for a long time. I was really thinking what my first film would be about. With the entire logistical headache that goes along with making a film, let alone a documentary which is unscripted, I felt that football, Ghana these are two things I know a lot about and I am comfortable with. I might not know as much as the next man but I know enough to combine them and make a good film that informs. So that’s how it came about in terms of the timing.

I did not want to shoehorn the story into something that was already in my head. At the time looking for funding and support and none was forthcoming it allowed me this freedom. Two of us initially went to Ghana supported by friends and family in terms of accommodation and transport, ultimately it was all about filming enough to get the story going. We were there for two months filming. We were joined by a friend who offered to be our researcher and then two days before we got on the plane to Ghana we got a little bit of funding which went a long way.
It felt good to engage with local talent on the production and logistics level. It was good to have local knowledge and that added talent in the production and I think that shows on screen.

CAV: What impact did doing the film have on you personally?
Baff Akoto: Personally it made me really appreciate the struggle. In the sense that we all have hopes and dreams, we all want to achieve but what are we really willing to do for it? Some people work harder than others. Seeing a young man like Yaw with determination who considered the facts and his situation, who at twelve years old was willing to leave his family… He is fearless. I admired the struggle and the faith you have to cultivate to achieve your ambitions.

I formed a great parallel in what they were doing and I was trying to make in the film. Knowing that I had to finish what I started. I am at pains to thank everyone who worked on this film. It was a collaborative effort with people who have contributed weeks, days and minutes. I hope everyone who worked on it is proud of it. As a director, an African, a Londoner I am just so chuffed at what was created and how it has been received. It makes the World Cup more interesting.

CAV: What are your plans for the World Cup? Will you be going to South Africa?
Baff Akoto: Just watching it on TV. Watch history being made. My head says Brazil will win. If England do well I will be supporting them. I am very, very, excited about Ghana. I believe an African team will make waves. It is like watching a major league chess game.

CAV: What do you think is the importance of the World Cup being hosted by an African nation?
Baff Akoto: The significance, well the home field advantage cannot be downplayed. Argentina won at home in 1978. That suggests that an African team will have a good run. Korea got to the semi finals the year they hosted the World Cup. They were in no way the fourth best team but they did well that year. So history suggests that an African team will do well. A semi final for me is doing well. That will be unprecedented. No new team has won the world cup since France in 1998. For a team other than Brazil to win it will be fascinating.

Francis Boadi

CAV: What advice would you give young British people who aspire to be filmmakers? What have you learnt from your experience?
Baff Akoto: Be prepared to give up your life. It depends on how much you want it and to what standard you want to make your film. And question your desires because if you don’t want it enough then the sacrifices you will have to make to start may not be worth it. And if you ask those hard questions and still want to do it then take up a camera and start filming. And study your industry and figure out how you’re going to get in and how you’re going make your waves and how to sustain it. If you want to make a career out of it as with anything just study your industry, get to know your industry and figure out where the cracks are where you can get in.

CAV: What is your next project?
Baff Akoto: My next project is a short film that is in post production. It is a film noir, new noir kind of style with a bit of comedy and suspense. It is in French. The next project from scratch… Well we will see…. Still working on it. I plan on making a feature film. The big ambition is simply to work and pay the bills. I love doing this. I want to log documentaries side by side with features and have them hatch together to form some kind of career.

CAV: What has the reception been to the film in the African, particularly the Ghanaian press?
Baff Akoto: It has not been shown in Ghana yet. I’m in talks with a few people.

Director Baff Akoto (left)

CAV: How have you found the film festival experience? Are there any others you plan to bring the film to?
Baff Akoto: It has been fun. A good experience. The film comes out on June 4th in the UK. I do have a distributor for TV sales. Festivals are good for getting the film out there and just seeing what the response has been to it. Without doing the festivals it could well have been the scenario where no one would have seen the film up to now. It’s good to see if you have done a good job, if it has resonated and how you did as a story teller, prior to releasing it to the public.

Ultimately the strength of the film outside of the football is the human story. We all have plans and goals and that’s universal so seeing how that works and play in different audiences has been a delight to observe.

We all need things to provoke our thoughts. Once you choose the creative industry your job is to give people food for thought.
The awards in Palermo have given us some recognition. We have not done any festivals in the UK. Curiously it will be interesting to see how UK audiences react to it.

Football Fables, out in the UK on June 4
Sunday 13 June, 5pm: screening followed by a Q&A with filmmaker, facilitated by Catch a Vibe’s Deputy Editor