In an interview with The Nollywood Reporter, Ghanaian-American filmmaker Zoey Martinson explains how her cross-cultural experiences shaped her debut feature about tradition, change, and community in Ghana’s fishing villages.
Zoey Martinson Highlights Ghana’s Coastal Communities in The Fisherman
Ghanaian-American filmmaker Zoey Martinson says her debut feature, The Fisherman, was inspired by the strength and humor of Ghana’s coastal communities.
The film, which follows a retired fisherman whose encounter with a talking fish blurs the line between dream and memory, examines how ordinary people navigate change in traditional societies.
In an interview with The Nollywood Reporter, Martinson said her experiences living in different parts of the world from Africa to the Menominee Nation in the United States shaped her perspective on community and belonging. “I’ve seen how people hold on to culture while adapting to modern life,” she said. “That balance is what I wanted to explore.”
Shot entirely in Ghana, The Fisherman blends fantasy and comedy to depict the daily lives of fishing families while questioning ideas of progress and identity. Martinson added that conversations with local residents helped shape the story’s authenticity.
“I spoke with fishermen and elders whose stories carried so much wisdom,” she said. “Their voices are part of the film’s heartbeat.”
Through The Fisherman, Martinson joins a generation of African filmmakers redefining how local communities are represented on screen.