A flash into Uganda’s film industry

For a moment, Joseph Kenneth Ssebaggala held his breath. He had been announced winner and was requested to step forward on stage to pick his accolade from Zuku’s – Uganda general manager Jared Mokobo.
“I would like to thank my sister, Susan Muwonge, for believing in me when no one did, and of course, to the almighty Lord for blessing me with passion,” the youthful filmmaker told the audience at the Uganda Film Festival award gala night early this month at Kampala Serena Hotel.
Ssebaggala bagged awards for Best Screenplay (House Arrest), Best Sound (House Arrest), Best Actor (Call 112), Best Actress (House Arrest), Best Feature Film (House Arrest) and Director Of The Year.

In a review of the filmmaker’s works, journalist Moses Serugo observes that one of Ssebaggala’s first films, Small Piece, validates him as the Ugandan filmmaker to watch.
“After labouring to make a mark on the industry with hardly any tutelage in the craft, Zenken, as he is popularly known, can now hold his head up high. He has the endorsement from a programming slot at the 2012 International Film Festival, Rotterdam in The Netherlands to thank. His film had three screenings and not even the harsh European winter could dampen his warm elation,” Serugo writes.

Ssebaggala believes film festivals are the best ports of call for anyone seeking validation as a filmmaker.
Nathan Magoola, another established filmmaker, took home the accolade for Best Short Film at the event for his movie collaboration, Walk With Me. The movie has taken him places.
He says: “Many Ugandans haven’t had a chance to watch it so it was good to submit in the festival. It has won its validation that it is a good thing to do co-production.”

UCC’s call
At the gala night, Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) executive director Godfrey Mutabazi, said the creative industry has potential. He implored Ugandans to embrace local films and support the film industry.
Veteran actor Phillip Luswata roots for federation of the film industry. “For now, divided as we are, the film industry owns us, which means we cannot control it. We cannot guarantee quality, hence we are failing to attract followers,” he observes.

Film is detached from the way of life and culture of Uganda and filmmaker John Ssegawa says there is need to study the development of theatre through history and see how it related with the way of life then, how it developed to climaxing with works like That’s Life Mwattu, which he says is one of the most successful TV/film in regard to engagement of the viewers/audience.
“So for a successful film industry, filmmakers must engage the audience in order for the audience to feel like it is a reflection of them for it to become a culture which will lead to its success,” Ssegawa argues.

Luswata says initiatives like the film festival could push filmmakers toward understanding the film craft and committing to the fact that, for any successful practice, there must be owners.
Filmmaker and director Matthew Bishanga aka Matt Bish, commends efforts by government through UCC for coming on board for it enables filmmakers to get a chance to be recognised by some cooperate companies at the award night galas and also get a chance to travel around the world.

Journey to the top
Like the music industry, the film industry has had a journey where individuals have started small, with meagre income to support themselves. In 1996, Luswata was cutting his teeth as an actor with works like Egoli. Eight years later, he was a producer, with edutainment films, They Stopped Eating Fruits and Waiting for My Tractor. The bigger bulk of his work has been in television drama production.

Over the years, he has come to observe that in Uganda, when one stands out as an actor, people tend to trust him or her to produce as well, which Luswata says is sad because producing does not comprise acting.
“So I am a beneficiary of such a scenario, and of course training from Music, Dance and Drama. But mostly, what has kept me relevant is my training in script writing in 2001, while writing for ‘Center 4’ in Uganda. I thus enjoy the favoured position of being able to write and produce,” he explains.
He is able to call the shots but this comes with the responsibility of carrying the weight of expectation. When Bish started production in 2006, it was experimental with meagre resources in an industry without proper film infrastructure.

No simple task
Bish recalls running around the country to so many different shooting locations, spending lots of money from his company- Bish Films coffers. His goal was to make a point that a filmmaker did not need to have Hollywood state-of-the-art equipment to shoot a movie.
“You can literally start with anything. On my side of the business, I had almost failed. I chose a story that was relevant to the country at the time (human sacrifice and road carnage). My brother Roger Mugisha (an actor) inspired the narrative,” he recalls.

Way forward

Joseph Kenneth Ssebaggala, film maker, says the way to sell film is to appeal to feelings, just like is the case with Indian soaps and American-Spanish telemundos. “The market is there, we need to find that X factor. “There are always those challenges for any Low Developed Country. “Everything is poor, the technical know-how, equipment, funding, market and government. It is a nightmare to be a film maker but that passion to succeed keeps me going,” Ssebaggala says.
He adds that it is worthwhile efforts and a filmmaker screens or premieres a movie, the frustrations do not matter because the satisfaction of a work done washes the pain away.
Well, starting is one thing and achieving success is another ballgame. Filmmaker and director Matt Bish says the success of a film industry will highly depend on the sitting head of state.

“If the President had been a movie fan, trust me, the industry would have cleaned up the streets of jobless individuals. Our President should pick a leaf from former president of Nigeria Jonathan Goodluck. During his times in office, he tried to help the film industry and gave out lots of money to local Nigerian filmmakers,” Bish suggests.
He has produced and directed two features, Battle of the Souls 2007 and State Research Bureau 2011 in addition to directing three television dramas for Amaradi Productions Ltd, a Kenya-based company. These include The Sircle, No Lie and Playboy, all 2014 productions.

State minister for ICT, Nyombi Thembo, argues that structures need to be put in place first to fight piracy so that film makers can benefit from their works. In a generalist manner, Uganda Communications Commission’s director for broadcasting Fred Otunnu says the film industry has content, talent and all it requires is finance so as to make films that are marketable on the international standards.

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