Some of The Fisherman cast Pope Ricky (center), Endurance Dzigbordi Dedzo (left) and William Lamptey (right). Photo courtesy: thefisherman.film website
In The Fisherman, a retired Ghanaian fisherman navigates a rapidly changing world, where tradition meets technology and experience collides with ambition. Guided by a mystical talking fish, he embarks on a journey full of humor, heart, and unexpected insights.
Bonface Orucho, bird story agency
The lights dim at Westgate Cinema in Nairobi, and within minutes a retired fisherman appears large on the screen, arguing with a fish that talks back.
Around him, younger companions debate money, risk, and opportunity, while the audience laughs, loudly and often, at scenes that feel both absurd and familiar. By the time the credits roll, the film has done more than entertain; it has landed as part of a broader shift in how African stories are being told and where they are being seen.
‘The Fisherman’, directed by Zoey Martinson, recently arrived in Kenyan cinemas as part of a multi-country African rollout following its international festival run, including recognition at the Venice Biennale, where it received the UNESCO Fellini Medal.
The film opened in Kenya and Zambia on April 3, with additional screenings planned across Tanzania and Nigeria in the coming weeks.
At its core is Atta Oko, a retired Ghanaian fisherman navigating a world that no longer operates on the terms he understands. His knowledge of the sea, built over decades, is challenged by younger generations using mobile phones and digital tools to track fish and manage their work. His response is to attempt a return, insisting on buying a new boat and re-entering a system that has already shifted.
“I am going to buy my own boat,” the character declares, setting in motion a journey to Accra to secure a bank loan, a process that introduces him to formal systems that sit outside his traditional sphere.
For Martinson, the story draws directly from lived experience along Ghana’s coast.
“The inspiration for the fisherman comes from when I had lived in Keta,” she says. “Every day, the fishermen would go out to sea, and I would help pull the net in. There was this kind of whimsy and wonder about what we could pull out of the sea.”
Over time, she says, that sense of wonder intersected with rapid economic and infrastructural change.
“In the 20 years since then, every time I’ve come back to Ghana, I’ve watched the country develop incredibly quickly,” she says. “I was interested in exploring what are the costs of rapid development against the coastal community.”
That tension is embedded in the film’s structure. Atta’s interactions with younger characters are marked by disagreement over how work should be done and what constitutes expertise. For him, knowledge is tied to experience and instinct. For others, it is increasingly shaped by access to data and technology.
Similar dynamics are playing out across sectors in Africa, where younger populations are accelerating the adoption of digital tools while older systems continue to influence access to resources and decision-making, according to multiple industry reports on economic transition across the continent.
In ‘The Fisherman’, this negotiation unfolds through a road journey that brings together characters with different approaches to risk, ambition and survival. The trip to Accra, initially framed as a practical mission to secure financing, becomes a way of navigating unfamiliar systems, including banking processes that require documentation and trust in formal institutions.
Access to such systems remains uneven. Across many African economies, informal sectors continue to dominate employment, while formal financial institutions expand their reach through digital platforms and policy reforms aimed at increasing inclusion, according to regional financial sector analyses.
The International Labour Organization, for instance, estimates that Africa’s informal sector accounts for nearly 83% of total employment and over 80% of non-agricultural jobs, particularly among women and youth.
The film introduces a talking fish as a recurring character that accompanies Atta throughout the journey. Rooted in storytelling traditions associated with Ghana’s Ewe communities, the character operates as both a guide and a disruptor, challenging Atta’s assumptions and pushing him toward decisions he might otherwise avoid.
“I wanted to capture my essence of Ghana, which is that I have a lot of fun and I laugh a lot,” Martinson explained. “That was something I felt was missing in cinema that made it outside of Ghana, the humor of people.”
Inside the theatre, that approach translates into consistent audience engagement. Laughter follows exchanges about money, pride and risk, while quieter moments around uncertainty and change hold attention in a different way. The balance allows the film to address structural shifts without relying on a strictly dramatic tone.
“The qualities of the characters are ones that we see in our day to day life,” one of the actors, William Lamptey. “Even if you don’t see yourself in there, you might see someone and think, this one is like that.”
That relatability underpins the film’s movement across markets. While rooted in Ghana, its themes extend to coastal communities in countries such as Senegal, Nigeria and Kenya, where fishing remains both a livelihood and a site of economic transition shaped by environmental pressures, infrastructure development and changing market systems.
The film’s production reflects a similar grounding. Shot in coastal communities near Takoradi and Cape Coast, alongside scenes in Accra, the project engaged local residents and adhered to community protocols during filming, incorporating lived environments into the narrative.
Its trajectory beyond Ghana signals a broader shift in African cinema distribution. Historically, many African films have relied on international festival circuits to secure visibility, often reaching audiences in Europe and North America before becoming accessible within the continent.
That pattern is beginning to change.
Cinema chains are expanding in key urban markets, while partnerships between producers, distributors, and exhibitors are enabling more coordinated releases across multiple African countries. The rollout of The Fisherman across East, West, and Southern Africa reflects this shift toward intra-continental circulation.
“This film was always meant to travel across Africa,” Martinson says. “It’s a story rooted in Ghana, but its humor, its heart, and its questions about identity and ambition resonate far beyond borders.”
Additional support is coming from diaspora networks and industry collaborations. The involvement of Nigerian-American actor Yvonne Orji as an executive producer points to growing cross-border partnerships that are shaping financing, promotion and audience reach for African productions.
At the same time, recognition at international platforms remains a key entry point. The film’s selection at the Venice Biennale and screenings at festivals in the United States highlight continued global interest in African storytelling, particularly projects that maintain local specificity while engaging universal themes.
Within Africa, festivals and cinema releases are increasingly working in parallel. Upcoming screenings tied to platforms such as the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) are expected to further extend the film’s reach, reinforcing the importance of building audiences within the continent alongside global exposure.
By the time the film reaches its later stages, Atta’s position begins to shift. His pursuit of a new boat and a return to the sea evolves into a broader reassessment of his role within a changing system. Rather than a straightforward resolution, the story moves toward an adjustment in how authority and experience are applied.
Across African economies, similar adjustments are taking place as sectors balance continuity with change, particularly in industries where traditional knowledge intersects with new technologies and formal structures, according to regional development analyses.
bird story agency
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