Students from the University of Media, Arts and Communication’s Institute of Film and Television (UniMAC IFT), the only specialised Film Institute in Ghana, emerge winners of Société Générale (SG) Ghana’s Artention Short Film Challenge 2025.
The competition dubbed, “Artention”, is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Programme by Société Générale Ghana Bank, created to support and promote talent in the country’s creative arts industry. Through Artention, the bank hopes to give young creatives more opportunities to learn, grow, and share their work with a wider audience.
This year’s contest brought together a vibrant mix of young filmmakers, individuals and groups from various schools and institutions across Ghana, for intensive training sessions and masterclasses, led by top industry professionals. Participants were inspired and encouraged to use film as a tool to tell meaningful and impactful stories.
After weeks of intensive training, the ‘Weaver’s Thread’ emerged as the standout film, earning praise for its simplicity, emotional depth, and powerful message. The “Weaver’s Thread,” directed by Theodore Xoese Gbeku, tells the moving story of Enyonam, a young girl with a disability who refuses to give up on her dream of becoming a Kente weaver. The film highlights her strength, passion, and determination as she works hard to learn a skill that is an important part of Ghana’s culture. The grand prize for winning included ₵50,000 and this was officially presented to the Weaver’s Thread team at the Silverbird Cinemas, Accra Mall, on Thursday, November 13, 2025, after they were announced as the overall winners of the competition.
Receiving the award was The Weavers Thread team led by the Project Lead, Theodore Xoese Gbeku. He expressed deep appreciation for the prize and recognition of the creative talent of the team. He stated that, “winning the Artention Film Festival & Competition 2025 means so much to us. We thank our Patron, Mr. Adonkor of UniMAC-IFT, the organisers, judges, fellow filmmakers, and everyone who supported our vision. To our cast, crew, and community, this victory is yours too. Thank you for believing in us. We will keep creating and telling our stories.”
The journey to winning the grand prize was ignited by Mr. Evans Eyram Adorkor, a Lecturer and Patron of the UniMAC-IFT Drama Club. Mr. Adorkor did his research on the CSR project by SG Ghana at the launch of Artention 2025 earlier in October. He then encouraged the students to take part, emphasising that the opportunity was open to everyone and could help them grow their skills and confidence in filmmaking.
The competition was intense and the rules meant that, each group had a strict twelve- hour window to shoot an authentic short film. On 23rd October 2025, all the five (5) groups, totaling twenty-five (25) participants, successfully submitted their completed films for assessment to the Board of Directors at the Safari Valley Resort.
Present at the screening and awards night was Mr. Evans Eyram Adorkor, whose excitement was evident as he witnessed the success of the very group, he had encouraged to take part in the competition. In his remarks, he expressed his pride and joy, noting that, “the victory felt like the fulfilment of a vision he had months ago when he first formed the Drama Club”. He stated, “I am truly happy for you. It feels as though I saw this coming from the very beginning. Keep the group together and work towards producing a feature-length version of The Weavers Thread.
When it’s ready, invite Société Générale Ghana, AMB Movie Box, as well as your friends and families to come and watch. Congratulations once again.”
Film production is about ‘reel connections’ and winning the competition came as a major surprise for the Lumina Production team, creators of The Weavers Thread. Students and team members described the victory as, “a breakthrough we never saw coming,” especially since they competed against four (4) other groups with far more industry experience than the students.
Despite the tough competition, UniMAC-IFT team’s success is a powerful reminder that passion, teamwork, and determination can lead to success, when least expected. These are the virtues and academic nurturing UniMAC-IFT gives its students. As Société Générale Ghana continues its commitment to empowering Ghana’s creative arts industry through the Artention initiative, the programme stands as a strong reminder of what is possible when support is consistent and opportunities are opened to young creatives. The Artention platform is designed to nurture talent, strengthen storytelling, and inspire the next generation of filmmakers to rise and make their mark.
Drafted By: Emmanuella Naa Kwarkor Quartey, UniMAC-IFT