Damn the Man, Save the Rex!
Synopsis
Damn the Man, Save the Rex! follows filmmaker Akosua Adoma Owusu’s ongoing effort to revive Ghana’s historic Rex Cinema, one of its oldest cinema houses. Blending archival material, voiceover, and experimental soundscapes, the short reflects on the legacy of Kwame Nkrumah’s vision for cinema as a cultural tool and reimagines the Rex as a living hub for film, art, and community.
United States, English
Cast & Crew
Director / Writer / Producer: Akosua Adoma Owusu
Producer: Mojolaoluwa Idowu
Featuring: Akosua Adoma Owusu, Nii-Moi Addo
Editor: Dylan Bowman, Jada Wesley
Sound Design & Mix: Kari Rae Seekins
Director Statement
Damn the Man, Save the Rex! is a personal testament to my long-standing effort to revive the Rex Cinema in Accra, Ghana. The film samples audio from Empire Records, reframing its ethos of rebellion within a Ghanaian struggle to sustain a historic landmark.
My vision is to connect past and present, to honor the Rex as a site of Ghana’s cinematic heritage while envisioning its future as a cultural hub. Through sound, music, and performance, the film underscores the urgency of protecting not only a building, but the stories, communities, and ways of seeing ourselves onscreen.
As a Ghanaian-American filmmaker, my work moves between continents and histories. This film continues that practice, exploring how cinema and preservation intersect, and how shared spaces endure through collective imagination.