American streamer iShowSpeed has joined former United States President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as a producer of The Eyes of Ghana, a documentary celebrating veteran Ghanaian filmmaker Rev. Dr Chris Tsui Hesse.
The documentary will receive a special one-night screening across cinemas in the United States and Canada on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, bringing Hesse’s story and Ghana’s independence-era film archive to a wider international audience.
The 90-minute film, directed by two-time Academy Award winner Ben Proudfoot, explores Hesse’s decades-long effort to preserve more than 1,000 reels of historical footage documenting Ghana’s independence and the wider African liberation movement.
The upcoming theatrical release is being organised by Breakwater Studios and Higher Ground, the production company established by the Obamas.
Participating cinema chains include Regal, AMC and Cinemark, alongside selected independent cinemas and other theatres across North America.
iShowSpeed, born Darren Watkins Jr., joined the project following his visit to Ghana earlier this year, when he connected with the country’s history and explored his Ghanaian ancestry. He has since shared the documentary’s official trailer with his global online audience.
In a statement, the 21-year-old streamer said he was honoured to help bring the story to the big screen, adding that his visit to Ghana had deepened his appreciation of the country and its people.
“His camera captured the birth of African independence, and his determination to preserve those images has ensured that future generations can witness it for themselves,” he said of Hesse.
“I’m humbled by his legacy and proud to help bring his story to my community.”
With more than 200 million followers across platforms, iShowSpeed’s involvement could introduce the documentary to younger audiences unfamiliar with Hesse’s contribution to Ghanaian cinema and historical documentation.
During his Speed Does Africa tour earlier this year, the streamer visited the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra, where he recreated a pose associated with Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah. The monument also features in the documentary, which revisits the period when Hesse documented Nkrumah’s activities and Ghana’s early years of independence.
Barack and Michelle Obama serve as executive producers through Higher Ground, which supports films and other projects exploring significant cultural and social issues.
Ethan Lewis, Head of Non-Fiction at Higher Ground, said Hesse’s commitment to safeguarding Ghanaian and African history made the project particularly significant.
He said the company was proud to partner with iShowSpeed, Proudfoot, Breakwater Studios and the production team to bring the documentary to cinemas on October 28.
At the centre of the film is Hesse’s archive, which captures significant moments in Ghana’s political and cultural history, as well as events connected to the broader African liberation struggle.
Born in Osu, Accra, Hesse began his professional career in 1954 and later worked with the film establishment that became the Ghana Film Industry Corporation. His work brought him to the attention of Nkrumah, who entrusted him with documenting presidential activities and other important national events.
He also contributed to Ghanaian feature films, including Kwaw Ansah’s Love Brewed in the African Pot and Heritage Africa, and documented the Congo Crisis in 1960.
Following the 1966 coup that overthrew Nkrumah, Hesse safeguarded a vast collection of film material that might otherwise have disappeared. Decades later, as his eyesight deteriorated, he began working to recover, preserve and make the footage accessible to the public.
The documentary follows that race against time and his collaboration with young Ghanaian filmmaker Anita Afonu and her colleagues to ensure the archive survives for future generations. Their efforts also lead towards a public screening at Accra’s historic Rex Cinema.
The Eyes of Ghana premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, where it opened the documentary programme, before screening in competition at the BFI London Film Festival.
It has also received international recognition, including awards at the Africa International Film Festival in Lagos, audience honours at the Hamptons International and Annapolis Film Festivals, and the Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award at the Heartland Film Festival.
The documentary was also screened in Ghana on Friday, April 17, 2026, at the Faculty of Digital Media and Design of the University of Media, Arts and Communication’s Institute of Film and Television (UniMAC-IFT).
The screening, attended by Hesse and Proudfoot, sparked discussions about preserving Ghana’s historical film archives, reclaiming the country’s historical narratives and inspiring a new generation of filmmakers. It also highlighted the contributions of UniMAC-IFT alumni Anita Afonu and Yaw Amponsah, who worked as producers on the documentary.
The October 28 screenings offer North American audiences an opportunity to experience Hesse’s story while drawing renewed attention to the importance of preserving Ghana’s audiovisual heritage.
For Hesse, whose career has spanned more than six decades, the mission extends beyond saving old film reels. It is about ensuring that future generations can see, understand and learn from the events that shaped Ghana and the wider African continent. His message to young filmmakers remains simple: “Keep on filming.”
