Juliet Asante

Juliet Asante has acted, directed, produced and run national film bodies. She was chief executive of Ghana's National Film Authority and founded the Black Star International Film Festival.

Education

Juliet Yaa Asantewa Asante is the second of five children. She graduated from the University of Cape Coast and from the National Film and Television Institute, where she took first-class honours in film directing. At Harvard Kennedy School she earned both a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Public Policy.

Screen work

She was named Best Actress in Ghana in 2001. Her film roles include Twin Lovers, Fresh Blood, Tears of Blood, Ripples, Thread of Ananse and the 1996 film Deadly Voyage. For Ghanaian TV she created the dating show Obaby and the drama Secrets. Her film Silver Rain received 2015 AMVCA nominations for best West African film and best costume.

Building institutions

In 1999 she started Eagle House Productions, whose Eagle Drama Workshop has trained many actors, and Save Our Women International, which teaches girls and women about sexual health. In 2014 she launched Mobile Flicks, short films made for phones. She has chaired the NAFTI board and the curriculum committee of the Ministry of Education's Creative Arts School, and runs the Yaa Asantewa Library project, which builds and stocks community libraries.