Hollywood producer looking for greener pastures in Uganda

Milan Selassie during the interview in Kampala. PHOTOS BY Tony Mushoborozi.

What you need to know:

Hopeful. Milan Selassie is known for the LifeTime film Back to School Mom, yet, last year in South Africa, two Ugandan enthusiasts interested him into visiting the country, now he wants it to be his next film location, Tony Mushoborozi writes.

American film producer Milan Selassie met three Ugandans in a conference of media buyers and sellers in South Africa mid last year. The conference, DISCOP Africa, is one of the premier events for Advertising and Information Agencies, Design-Studios and Mass-Media industry in Africa.
Here, professionals (producers, buyers and sellers of content) meet and exchange ideas around continent. Milan had been a panelist on one of the sessions. He had talked about producing movies in Africa and marketing them in Hollywood. That is how the young Ugandan media practitioners, among whom was Brian Mulondo of KFM, were attracted to him.
Peter Mujuni, one of the three Ugandans in attendance. He says, “Hearing him talk about producing films in Africa for the global market, I thought this was quite something. So when the session was ended. We had a side meeting with him to dig deep into how he was able to produce in Africa and premier them in Hollywood. The turning point was when he showed us a trailer of the movie, Singleholic, that he had just concluded shooting in Mauritius. When he showed us the sites that were used to shoot the movie, I assured him that Uganda had much better (locations) than Mauritius. This stroke his curiosity as he had never been to Uganda.”
The team of Ugandans had told him that much as our film industry was still at its infant stages but the potential was big. They were looking for partnerships with people like Milan in which both parties could win. “We mentioned of some of the stakeholders like UCC, MTN & STANBIC Bank that were investing in the Uganda Film Festival. We told him about the young actors and movie producers who are good but needed exposure to the international market,” Mujuni says.
Milan landed in Uganda on 16th January. He says he had no plans to come to Uganda when he his LA home at the beginning of December for his vacation. But the Ugandans he met in South Africa were constantly in touch and for that reason, up-to-date with his itinerary. “When I landed in Kenya, which was supposed to be my last destination, these guys told me I was only a short distance from Uganda. I was not having a great time in Kenya, so I decided to come,” he says.

Meeting with UCC
The producer had planned a three-day visit in the country, but then something to do with the famed Ugandan hospitality prolonged his stay to 10 days. “I went to meet with Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) to get a picture of what I needed to produce in Uganda. The people I met there were enthusiastic about my idea that they took him to some of the sites up-county of Lake Bunyonyi and Chobe safari lodge at Murchison falls game park,” he says.
During his time with the UCC personnel, they talked about the importance of having a formalized rebate system to attract more productions to the country. “I was highly impressed by the people I met there. They understand that entertainment is growing on the continent. The global bodies analyzing the sector are all report great things ahead. They know this and they want to tap into it.”
Currently, there is no legislation to make a rebate system possible, but Milan believes that there is a strong army of champions in the government bodies who understand that there is a need for that. “People who understand the importance of growth in this sector,” he says.
It was after his interactions with the UCC that he knew he wanted to shoot his films here, even in the absence of a rebate system currently.

The people
Milan is very optimistic about his prospects in the country. For one, the Ugandan people did not disappoint as usual. “The people that I have met here have been amazing. My childhood best friend is a Ugandan-American called Daniel Tusiime Lubega. Ugandans are great people.”

On Producing in Uganda
“There seems to be a commitment on the part of government and private individuals to grow the sector, and I’d like to explore it. I have about three films in the pipeline, and I’d like to shoot all of them in Uganda. I bring productions expertise, outstanding scripts, and finance and distributions.
“I will come with HODs (key crew) and then hire the rest from here. I will probably combine them with some SA experts and then get the rest from Uganda’s industry,” he says.
If all puns out well, Milan will be shooting his first Uganda-US collaboration by July this year. Even with no rebates in place, Milan will rely on his international capital in Uganda.
One of many he plans to do here. The film he plans to shoot here is aptly named, “Welcome to Paradise”. Another is “Four prodigal Sons”, a rom-com about four college buddies, middle 30s, very successful, who want to settle down and get married. They have very humble fathers. They agree that every time they go out, they pretend to hold their fathers’ jobs instead of their own fancy ones. Their fathers, respectively, are Doorman, Janitor, Postman and a math teacher. They want to be loved for who they are.”

Great Cinematic locations
Uganda has great locations for film according to Milan. “Places like Jinja, Lake Bunyonyi, Murchison Falls, Munyonyo are only a few of very many others. I want explore Uganda as much as possible.