King Ampaw is a

Ghanaian Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

and actor born in Kukurantumi in the Eastern Region of

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

. He is known for starring as the second lead role with the late Hollywood actor,

Klaus Kinski Klaus Kinski (, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski 18 October 1926 – 23 November 1991) was a German actor, equally renowned for his intense performance style and notorious for his volatile personality. He appeared in over 130 film roles in a c ...

Werner Herzog Werner Herzog (; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with un ...

's sensational film ''

Cobra Verde ''Cobra Verde'' (also known as ''Slave Coast'') is a 1987 German drama film directed by Werner Herzog and starring Klaus Kinski, in their fifth and final collaboration. Based upon Bruce Chatwin's 1980 novel ''The Viceroy of Ouidah'', the film de ...

'' (1987) which he also co-produced. He also co-produced the film ' (1989) directed by Peter F. Bringmann. He is married with two sons.

Biography

King Ampaw was born on 25 July 1940 in Kukurantumi in the Eastern Region of

. He attended the Academy of Film in Potsdam,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in 1965. In 1966 he also enrolled at the Academy of Music and Performing Arts in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and the Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München,

(HFF Munich) from 1967 to 1972 where he studied with

and

Wim Wenders Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker, playwright, author, and photographer. He is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among many honors, he has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Docum ...

. He graduated as a film director with his first film ''They Call it Love''. On his return to Ghana, he became a senior director at the

Ghana Broadcasting Corporation The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) was established by law in 1968 with a triple mandate as a State Broadcaster, Public Service Broadcaster, and a Commercial Broadcaster in Ghana. Headquartered in the capital city, Accra, it is funded by gr ...

(GBC) from 1979 to 1982 when he left GBC to form his own film company, Afro movies Ltd. King Ampaw wrote, directed and produced his own films such as ''Kukurantumi, Road to Accra'' (1983), ''Juju'' (1985) and ''No Time to Die'' (2006). Most of his films have been co-funded with his company Afromovies Ltd and international agencies and governments such as ''No Time to Die'' which was funded by the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

and the

French Government The Government of France ( French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who ...

. His films have been praised internationally and have won numerous awards including the Film Critics Award for ''Kukurantumi, Road to Accra'' at

FESPACO The Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (Festival panafricain du cinéma et de la télévision de Ouagadougou or FESPACO) is a film festival in Burkina Faso, held biennially in Ouagadougou, where the organization is based. It ...

, the Input Film Award for ''Juju'' in

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

and the Talifa Film Festival Award in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

for ''No Time to Die''. He was the first Filmmaker to be given an Honorary Award at the

Africa Movie Academy Awards The Africa Movie Academy Awards, popularly known as AMAA and The AMA Awards, is presented annually to recognize excellence among professionals working in, or non-African professionals who have contributed to, the African film industry. It was fou ...

(AMAA) in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. At the 2012 NAFTI Film Lectures, he was honoured for his immense contribution to the film industry and cross-cultural collaborations between

and

. He also received another Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013 at the Accra International Film Festival. He is a founding member of

FEPACI The Pan African Federation of Filmmakers (Fédération Panafricaine des Cinéastes, or FEPACI), formed in 1969 and inaugurated in 1970, is "the continental voice of filmmakers from various regions of Africa and the Diaspora", focusing attention on ...

(African Filmmakers’ Union),

, the

Ghana Academy of Film and Television Arts The Ghana Academy of Film and Television Arts (GAFTA) is a private, professional organization dedicated to the advancement of excellence in the art, craft and science of the motion picture industry — film, television and new media. The Academ ...

(GAFTA) and the Directors’ Guild of Ghana (DGG). King Ampaw is currently working on a film titled "The Son and Sun of Africa", which is about the life of the legendary

Pan-Africanist Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement exte ...

Kwame Nkrumah Kwame Nkrumah (born 21 September 190927 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, having led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. An in ...

which will be his last film, to complete his creative works.

Filmography

* ''They Call it Love'' (1972) * ''Kukurantumi, Road to Accra'' (1983) * ''Juju (Nana Akoto)'' (1985) * ''No Time to Die'' (2006)

Awards and nomination

In 2007, King Ampaw was awarded "Best Actor award at the 4th African ''Film Festival of Tarifa'' in

. He presented during the 20th anniversary of the "Pan-African Film and Arts Festival in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, in 2008. He won The Film Critics Award for ''Kukurantumi'' at

Fespaco The Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (Festival panafricain du cinéma et de la télévision de Ouagadougou or FESPACO) is a film festival in Burkina Faso, held biennially in Ouagadougou, where the organization is based. It ...

Ouagadougou Ouagadougou ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Burkina Faso and the administrative, communications, cultural, and economic centre of the nation. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of 2,415,266 in 2019. The city's n ...

and Input Film Award for ''Nana Akoto'' in

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

He is also the winner of Honorary Award at an edition of the ''Africa Movie Academy Awards'' (''AMAA''), in

. Additionally, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the ''Accra International Film Festival'' (''AIFF'') in 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ampaw, King 1940 births Living people Ghanaian male actors Ghanaian film directors Ghanaian expatriates in Germany Ghanaian expatriates in Austria Ghanaian film producers