Kicking & Chatting: Baff Akoto, director of "Football Fables"

Filmmaker Baff Akoto is a man of many talents. And many jobs. A native of Ghana, Akoto has done time as a door-to-door salesman, strip-cabaret DJ, live music promoter and haute cuisine chef in a French kitchen.

But it is film that has always held the most sway. And soccer.

A product of London's Ravensbourne College of Design & Communications, Akoto began as a freelancer with Reuters Television, Cartoon Network, MTV, Paramount, and Comedy Central. His creative expression as a director is anchored by a solid technical foundation and acute logistical awareness. And his diverse life experiences have imbued him with a distinct vision evident throughout his work, including his latest feature, Football Fables.

The film, which won Best Foreign Film at the 2009 Rassegna Cinematografica Internazionale and made its U.S. debut in March as part of the AFI’s New African Film Festival, explores the inner workings of the widespread migration of young African soccer players to Europe. K&S’s Rachel Markus recently discussed his film and the beautiful game.

K&S: Have you always been a football fan?

Akoto: Since I can remember, I've been fascinated by football and Liverpool Football Club. It’s a habit I picked up from my father, and the interest was cemented by watching Maradona winning the World Cup in 1986.

K&S: What role does football play in Ghana, in the hearts and hopes of the players and fans?

Akoto: The role of the game in Ghana can be traced back to independence from the British in 1957 and the first president of the country, Kwame Nkrumah, and his policies. He deliberately promoted and supported excellence in football as a means of boosting the new sense of national identity and pride at the time in the first sub-Saharan African state to gain independence from their colonial masters. There is still a palpable legacy of this amongst Ghanaians today, both players and fans.

K&S: What inspired you to make Football Fables?

Akoto: The story of how the likes of Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, Samuel Eto'o, and Didier Drogba make their epic journeys from rural West African grassless pitches to winning Champions League and Premier League titles has never been told. The end result is familiar to millions of people around the world, but the human stories behind African football migration was what interested me, especially since I lived and completed high school in Ghana and played in local and school football teams as a youngster. My coach at the time, Robert Tetteh, died a couple of years ago from stomach cancer. In his time he was a talented professional, but he never made it all the way. I was thinking a lot about him when I began planning this film.

K&S: What are the challenges of capturing live-action football on film?

Akoto: Filming football is done every week in multiple leagues around the world. The challenge is to figure out what you want from the action and making sure that's what you capture with the camera. Most of the time the purpose is to follow the game, but on occasion, such as with commercials or a documentary, cameras try to grasp the essence of the beautiful game or to show its context. The challenge then, just as it is when playing, is to not be caught ball watching.

K&S: Any thoughts on why there has yet to be the “classic” narrative film about football?

Akoto: One reason is that Hollywood doesn't know how to depict the culture and conventions surrounding football. The BBC has its detractors, but they've always done fantastic football narrative since I was a kid, including Born Kicking, Jossie's Giants, and Playing the Field. I'd love to see stories like those told with the camerawork from Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday.

K&S: What do you think it is about football that enables it to transcend borders, religion, culture, class, etc.?

Akoto: Simple—it’s cheap and very accessible to play, unlike tennis or golf. Plus it was spread by the British, who at one point controlled half the world. Most of the other half has either caught up or defected to cricket.

K&S: With the World Cup soon to be held on the African continent, do you see the game taking on even more significance?

Akoto: Possibly, especially if an African nation wins. Or makes it to semifinal. I think the main effect will be the big clubs looking to source even more talent from the nation in question. The same happened when Argentina and France first won their World Cups—their players suddenly became fashionable imports. And South Korea too after 2002.

K&S: Do you think they’ll be a time when players in Ghana will aspire to play in national clubs, or will the EPL remain the brass ring?

Akoto: The desire to move abroad will remain until the administration of the game in Ghana is restructured to make the running of clubs and their finances more efficient and accountable.  (Click here to see why.)

K&S: What are some of your current and planned film projects?

Akoto: I'm finishing off a French language noire comedy and also I'm currently neck deep in an action movie script. But I think I'll return to football at some point as it’s the first thing I recall loving outside my family and is dripping with so many stories, both on and off the pitch.

Comments

[SimplyFutbol]

Great stuff. Looking forward to the festival, although I won't be able to go.