Funny you should ask...Cindy Magara

Cindy Magara is a film maker and a lecturer of film at Makerere University. Her first film was Fate followed by Fair Play and she has just finished shooting Windows of Hope.

Do you think wives should sleep on the right or left side of the bed?
Personally I wouldn’t pick on any side to sleep; besides it would be boring to sleep on one side all the time. There needs to be dynamism in these things.

Who is the most stubborn student in your class the one that gives you headache?
It is a she, I wouldn’t say her name. But I remember we were having a tutorial and students were not willing to contribute, I got angry and told them that if they didn’t want to talk I wouldn’t talk for them. So. I told them to go and write a poem about satire in Literature. And this particular girl went and wrote a poem with the exact words I had said when I was angry.

You must have really gotten angry...
I actually wasn’t because it showed me that she was creative. It made all the students laugh. If I have not forgotten her poem was something like; “If you don’t want to contribute... I have done my own exams and passed.... and you don’t cross me twice!”

What has been your most embarrassing experience with shoes?
It was while I was lecturing film, and my shoe snapped. I couldn’t move freely and it even became worse when I had to go down the stairs.

What has been your craziest moment on set?
It was recently when I was shooting Windows of Hope. I had these two characters; a father and the child. These chaps were all tall and checky, so in one scene whenever the father and the son stood to face each other, they would burst out and laugh. We had to do about three takes, but with the last one I was compelled to pick a stick and told them; “This time we are not doing another take.

What would you do if you caught your husband cheating on you?
If I caught him red-handed I would just keep quiet and walk away, or take a picture of him. So what would happen next would depend on how he answers- you know there are people who are apologetic when they are caught in wrong and those who want to deny.

Would you rather be lights, boom or camera?
I think I would be lights, because with a camera you simply have to press record and stop, the boom is quite tiring but with lights you have to use a lot of brain work. And you get impressed with the way you can play about with lights to create amazing things.

Have you missed a bus before?
Yes, that happened, when I was in high school at Mariam High School on a day we were breaking off for holidays. That night it had rained, it was so cold and in the morning the sun took long to shine- and I forgot to wake up. The bus left me.

Do students look down on you because they think you young?
That happens sometimes, but on a small scale because most of my students are really disciplined.

What extreme measures have you taken in the name of beauty?
I don’t really see why I would go to extreme measures, because I am a really fair lady- cant you see for yourself?

What is the most disappointing thing you have seen in a local movie?
Un-dynamic pictures, someone shoots a scene and it is all in one wide shot- that happens with so many local movies I have seen.