Who Owns Tomorrow?
A documentary by Martin Cooper exploring the work of Ghanaian photographer Nii Obodai.
This 24-minute documentary explores the work of the renowned Ghanaian photographer Francis Nii Obodai Provençal (known professionally as Nii Obodai).
Born in Accra in 1963, Nii has become one of the most significant figures in contemporary African photography.
Working principally in black and white, he has sought to record African life, culture and spirituality, both in urban and rural settings.
Nii’s socially conscious visual storytelling reflects Africa's diverse narratives and distinctive landscapes.
His photographs have been collected and exhibited globally at premier institutions, including: Venice Architecture Biennale, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Bamako Encounters, Mali
Obodai is also highly regarded for encouraging the next generation of African photographers. In 1998 he founded the Nuku Cafe in Accra, which evolved into Nuku Studio – a hub for photographic research and practice.
About the filmmaker – Martin Cooper
Having initially trained at the BBC, Martin Cooper worked for over 30 years as a documentary editor within the British television industry.
He worked on numerous films and TV series, a number of which received BAFTA nominations and RTS awards.
In 2002 he won a Royal Television Society Award for Best Documentary Editor.
Martin was subsequently invited to be a judge on the Arts panel for the prestigious Grierson Documentary Awards in London.
In 2018 Martin directed his first feature documentary, Traces of The Soul (86 mins). This was an exploration of contemporary calligraphy across the globe.
The film won numerous awards at international film festivals and is currently streaming on Amazon Prime, GuideDoc and Fawesome.tv.
History, Mystery & Odyssey (77 mins), 2023, was Martin’s second feature as a director. It looked at the life and work of six renowned independent animators, all living and working in Portland, Oregon.
This film also won a number of awards and was screened in Ottawa, France, Palm Springs and Portland (USA), Australia, Hungary, Bulgaria and the UK. It is currently streaming on GuideDoc, Zigguart.tv and Fawesome.tv.
e A R T h w o r k s (65 mins), 2026, is Martin’s third feature documentary. It explores aspects of our increasingly fragile planet – specifically LIGHT, LAND and WATER – through the work of three artists: Filippo Sciascia, Nii Obodai and Nakajima Hiroyuki, each born on a different continent.
Who Owns Tomorrow? (24 mins), 2026, is a film about the contemporary, influential Ghanaian photographer Nii Obodai, exploring his visual approach to portraiture, landscape, water bodies, architecture and the colonial history of West Africa.