Some film producers tried to sabotage my career - Yvonne Nelson

Ghanaian actress and movie producer Yvonne Nelson has revealed that her boldness and desire to speak up against injustice in the movie industry led to a targeted attempt to sabotage her career by the Film Producers Association of Ghana (FIPAG).

Speaking on Joy News' The Career Trail show, the actress disclosed that she was banned by the association simply for being vocal about issues affecting the industry, especially because she was a woman.

I was banned by a group of men in the industry. They call themselves FIPAG. Something happened on set and they got together. When you are a woman and you are vocal; when you are unhappy with things around you, and you want to talk about them, people just don’t like that. They feel you just came into the industry. Why are you talking too much, why are you complaining too much. That was what I faced, because they felt like I complained about everything that I was unhappy about.

Yvonne added that the ban was a calculated move by some industry players to crush her ambitions. Following the ban, the actress decided to take matters into her own hands by launching her own production company, YN Productions. She revealed that the journey began with support from individuals who believed in her vision.

I believe in their minds, they wanted to intimidate, they wanted to end my dreams, they wanted to teach me a lesson, and they wanted to silence me as a young girl in the industry. I just decided that I can do my own thing. I can produce my own movies. Why don’t I try? So, I registered a company around that time and I started producing my movies.

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I met a gentleman named, Kelvin Kobri. He is into ministry now. He believed in me just like Abdul Salam believed in me. He funded my first 2 to 3 movies.

I was banned by FIPAG because I was outspoken – Yvonne Nelson.#thecareertrail #joylearning #joynews pic.twitter.com/9rtEu827sa

— JoyNews (@JoyNewsOnTV) April 4, 2025

Despite finding her footing as a producer, Yvonne said she continued to face sabotage. One of the most painful incidents, she recalled, was when her first production got stolen in the middle of post-production.

The first production got stolen after editing. Armed robbers entered the editor’s studio and stole all his drives. We lost everything we had shot. I believe it was a sabotage…Till date, I don’t know who did that, but it is obvious.

Despite the setback, Yvonne and her team decided to reshoot the entire project, an effort that came with significant financial and emotional cost.

I was sabotaged; my first production was stolen – Yvonne Nelson.#thecareertrail #joylearning #JoyNews pic.twitter.com/5i4IizwIwv

— JoyNews (@JoyNewsOnTV) April 4, 2025

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To date, she has successfully produced 14 films under her belt, including Kotoka, Heels and Sneakers, and other notable titles. She also teased the release of her upcoming movie, Summer.

Reflecting on her journey, Yvonne shared that the road has been anything but smooth. She describes the movie industry as a toxic place, where strength and resilience is needed for survival.

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