The Northern Region occupies the largest geographical area of Ghana. It is divided into 18 administrative districts under the Local Government Act of 1992. The capital town is Tamale. The region is also blessed with natural endowment be it climatically, religiously, linguistically, culturally etc. yet it does not compete favorably in development with its Southern regional counterparts, politically and economically.
The region is divided into many ethnic groups, and the most dominating ones are the Dagombas, Gonjas and the Nanumbas. The main economic activity in the area is Agriculture; more than 70% of the farmers are peasants.

During the dry season from November to April, there is little economic activity; as a result there is always an increase in the Rural/Urban migration, as most of the youth migrate to the capital city in search for “better” jobs. The uneven rainfall pattern has greatly affected farming in the area.
The three northern regions of Ghana for that matter are persistently the poorest regions, and the stable economic growth which Ghana has experienced since the early 1990s has not yet extended to the north. While parts of other regions are also poor, the north comprises the poor largest geographical area, one where economic growth has been difficult to stimulate; it's always the last when it comes to technology and does not also keep pace with Global vicissitude.

Tribal conflicts are rampant in the region; relationship between the various ethnic groups in the Northern Region has not been continuously stable. Particularly, conflicts have been smoldering for a long time between the Dagombas and the nomadic Kokombas. 1994 experienced the worst ethnic conflicts ever in Ghana. The conflict spread to other ethnic groups, and ended up with several thousand dead.
Intra-tribal conflict also reared its ugly head between the Abudus and Andani royal gates of the Dagombas which rendered many people dead.
Majority of the youth does not have jobs or substantial source of income and ends up sitting under constructed shades known as "Ghettos". At the moment there are about twenty ghettos located within each area in the Tamale Metropolis alone. These Ghettos serve as breeding places for die hard fanatics who have nothing to do from morning till evening although some of them either completed basic or senior high school.

The northern region also experiences a retrospective five years backward development compared to the southern sector. This means that it takes five years for modern and technological improvement which is seen in the south to get to the northern sector.
These factor places an undue advantage on Ghanaians in that part of the country. With the revitalization of the Ghanaian movie industry, IFF’s sole aim is to place the two sectors into equal footings by providing avenues for the youth to venture into film and video production.