Kizito’s ‘The Forbidden’ wins at Zanzibar International Film Festival
Saviour Samuel Kizito (2nd right) and colleagues display the accolade they won at the Zanzibar International Film Festival recently. PHOTO BY EDGAR R. BATTE
What you need to know:
- Kizito was one of four Ugandan film makers that made it to the list of finalists whose works were exhibited at ZIFF, which was started 21 years ago to develop and uplift the East African film industry, through workshops.
- Loukman Ali participated in the short film category with film titled The Bad Mexican, Coutinho Kemiyondo in the same category for a film titled Kyenvu and Edmond Tamale for his documentary work titled Your Music Your Voice.
There is good news coming from the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) where Ugandan filmmaker, Saviour Samuel Kizito is in a good mood after his movie, The Forbidden earned him the accolade, Best East African Film Award.
“I am so excited that Uganda was well-represented at the Zanzibar International Film Festival 2018. Despite the fact that we had a few films in the competition, we at least managed to bring two awards home. Towards the Awards Gala, I was a bit worried because The Forbidden movie was competing with some big films I've seen doing well all over Africa this year,” explains Kizito.
He says he wasn't expecting the award but stayed strong and hopeful throughout the day as he kept on praying to God and telling his colleagues how they should really bring that award home.
God heard his call. It meant so much to Kizito as a director. The film is his second after the directorial debut with Bunjako that scooped him an African Movie Academy Awards nomination for Best First Time Director last year.
“This win doesn't only give hope and more inspiration to me to keep working harder and smarter, but also to other growing filmmakers in Uganda. I am probably the youngest film director in Uganda to have reached this point of filmmaking victory in a few years, and I am sure this shows other younger filmmakers that we all can still achieve great things regardless of how young we are as long as we don't give up on aiming for better growth each day,” the filmmaker says.
The Forbidden was the only Feature Film from Uganda. Kizito gives thanks to the producer Claire Nampala, the cast and crew and everyone that helped them in the making of the movie.
The film captures the story of a young girl Dian, a single mother who is a smart girl at school whose education is interrupted by lack of school payments.
“This stress pushes her to pressure her mother to tell her who her father is but the mother keeps on hiding the truth. After her mother’s death, she gets hired to work as a maid at her boyfriend Joseph’s home where his father, Ssendi rapes her. She is later crashed when she gets to know that her and her boyfriend Joseph share the same father who had already infected her with HIV,” Kizito lays out part of the movie plot.
Back home, the movie has been nominated in the Gulu International Film Festival- GIFF. The same movie recently earned him recognition in Ghana at the Golden Movie Awards where it was nominated.
Kizito was one of four Ugandan film makers that made it to the list of finalists whose works were exhibited at ZIFF, which was started 21 years ago to develop and uplift the East African film industry, through workshops.
Loukman Ali participated in the short film category with film titled The Bad Mexican, Coutinho Kemiyondo in the same category for a film titled Kyenvu and Edmond Tamale for his documentary work titled Your Music Your Voice.
