Documentary: An African Election – to be premiered in Ghana for free

Jarreth Merz, director and producer of the “An African Election” – a documentary about Ghana’s 2008 elections, says the film will be premiered in Ghana from March 2012 for free.

After the premiere, there will be a road-show known as the “Political Safari” in all the regions in Ghana to show the movie in September.

“We will be having a screening in Ghana from March 2012. In September we will be doing the Safari Roadshow in all the regions…all for free,” Jareth Merz said in an ‘unprepared’ interview on Metro Television’s show Good Evening Ghana December 29, 2011.

The documentary has been premiered in the UK and Merz says he has incurred a loss of $250,000.

“I have made minus $250,000,” the Swiss-born Ghanaian told the TV host Paul Adom Otchere.

He explains that people don’t want to buy the movie because “No one wants to see Africa’s success story.”

“You don’t do a documentary to make money,” Jarreth Merz added.

On all the weird scenes in the documentary especially the sitting room of Ex-President Rawlings’ residence at Ridge and the Electoral Commission’s strong room – he said he sought official permissions for the shots.

Giving his Ghanaian origin, Jareth Merz said “my grandmother is a Ghanaian – she’s an Ashanti, my Great-Great-Great grandfather was the Bantamahene.”

Jarreth Merz grew up in Ghana, Germany and Switzerland and speaks five languages fluently.

He is known for his portrayal of Simon of Cyrene in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ and his recurring role as Charles Baruani in ER.

In 2005 Merz co-founded The Cell Film Production and has worked extensively in film, television and theater.

Most recently, he directed and produced The Soul of Ashanti for the Africa Channel in Los Angeles and Mousy Brown, a narrative short film. He is currently working on a bio pic about the life of Russian poet Alexander Pushkin.

By Ekow Quandzie