NDIFF week starts with thriller

However, the show wasn’t well attended, it could have been due to the high ticket prices of Shs120,000 for VIP and Shs75,000 for ordinary. Over 65 submissions were made but only 56 will be shown and will be competing this week at Bugolobi near the National Water and Sewerage Corporation offices ahead of the awards gala due Saturday.

The first ever Nile’s Diaspora Film Festival (Ndiff) kicked off on Friday night at Sheraton Kampala Hotel with the premiere of Jim Iyke’s latest movie, Last Flight to Abuja, based on a true story.

Prior to the film, there was a cocktail and networking among guests often occasioned by the introduction of key stakeholders in the industry by Tonya Lee Williams, of the Young and Restless soap fame.
She made sure, Obi Emelonye, the director of The Last Flight to Abuja met with the likes of Ndiff’s Patron, Maggie Kigozi among other crucial stakeholders. Though anticipated, stars Jim Iyke and Nadia Bauri didn’t make it for the event.But that didn’t dampen the filmgoers’ spirits who were keen on learning a few tricks in the trade. Speaking before the film’s premiere, Emelonye said, like Uganda, Nigeria was still faced with an uphill task of fighting piracy. He however concluded
saying the fight has to go on.

“People were saying Nollywood is yet to properly crash a car, how then are they going to crash a plane,” he joked. But watching the movie, one can say they successfully pulled it off. Featuring sexy siren Omotola Jalade among others, the film based on events that happened in Nigeria around 2005/2006 is by no means a mean achievement.
However, the show wasn’t well attended, it could have been due to the high ticket prices of Shs120,000 for VIP and Shs75,000 for ordinary. Over 65 submissions were made but only 56 will be shown and will be competing this week at Bugolobi near the National Water and Sewerage Corporation offices ahead of the awards gala due Saturday.

“It is about putting our stories together on the screen. After oil, film is the biggest resource in Nigeria, said Emelonye. If film takes off in Uganda, tourism will be second. He said he premiered Mirror Boy, another successful film in UK to a receptive audience despite some reservations from some stakeholders before the premiere. That film, he said, made it to UK’s top 25 cinemas.
Emelonye requested Ugandan filmmakers and government to partner with private companies to fund movies.

Hope Waira, from Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) said UIA believes in the film industry. “I have an uphill task to convince people that film is a business. We are here to promote you, she said.
Phad Mutumba, Ndiff’s co-founder, said their mission is to impact knowledge to filmmakers. Maggie Kigozi, the patron, promised a week of fun. “Come see the best of Uganda, Nigeria and America. Come watch the movies and improve on your own. There are some empty chairs we need to fill at the awards ceremony,” she concluded. There are several workshops this week on filmmaking techniques, TV production on a shoestring budget and screen acting tutorials.
jkatende@ug.nationmedia.com