The hate, sabotage I’ve endured in the movie industry is too much — Yvonne Nelson

Ghanaian actress and Chief Executive Officer of YN Movie Productions, Yvonne Nelson, has opened up about the challenges she has faced in the local movie industry.

The award-winning actress disclosed that she was once sabotaged by individuals who didn’t want her to succeed, including her hard drive containing her first film stolen.

In an interview on Accra-based JoyNews, she revealed she suspects certain individuals in the industry were behind the act.

“The first production got stolen while editing. ‘Armed robbers’ entered the editor’s studio and stole all the drives. So everything we had shot, we lost it.

“I believe it was sabotage. I felt like there was a lot of hate going on in the industry, and till date, I don’t know who did that. But you know, it’s obvious—it’s pointing at one side,” she said.

Yvonne Nelson was banned by the Film Producers Association of Ghana (FIPAG) in 2010 over what the association described as repeated acts of disrespect and rudeness towards fellow actors, producers, and crew members.

The ban, which lasted from October 2010 to October 2011, was said to be a disciplinary action for what the association deemed unacceptable conduct.

However, Yvonne Nelson believes the decision was rooted in gender bias and her vocal stance on issues in the industry.

“I was banned by a group of men in the industry. They call themselves FIPAG. When you’re a woman and you’re vocal—when you’re unhappy with things around you and you want to talk about them—people just don’t like that.

“They felt like I had just come into the industry. So why was I talking too much? Why was I complaining too much? And that was what I faced—because I spoke up about everything I was unhappy about,” she stated.