Kampala has been the centre of almost everything taking place in entertainment, business and, of course, the film industry. With all the cinemas in Kampala and the central, festivals and different film gatherings have been leaving other parts of the country isolated.
Over the years, this has inspired the formation of regional wings of different entertainment entities such as associations of film combining film makers from a region and singers or producers from one background coming together to associate. In film, at the moment, there are associations in both Kigezi and northern Uganda, much as those from Kigezi have been vocal about inclusiveness in festivals and showcases in Kampala.
They have also been intentional about ensuring films being made in the region hire talent from the region. Then there are filmmakers from northern Uganda. They have been vocal about creating an ecosystem that includes both exhibiting, marketing and networking. And that is literally the story of the Northern Uganda Film Awards, an initiative by the Northern Uganda Filmmakers’ Association (Nufa), the association aims at promoting culture and northern Uganda through cinema.
Outside hosting an annual award event, they also have programmes such as capacity building for filmmakers in the region, equipment rentals and technical support and content creation. Last Saturday, the association organised this year's edition of the Northern Uganda Film Awards at Acholi Inn in a plush event. The event is proof that there is a lot of talent bustling in places outside central Uganda. For instance, according to Ojok Odong, the Nufa president, the awards received at least 70 submissions.
With a three-person jury of Joyce Indiegu Arigi, Moses Adonga and Joel Tugaineyo, they gave out 16 awards including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Cinematography categories, among others. However, besides the generic categories that most film awards in Uganda carry, also chose to recognise Best Actors and Actresses in short films, while in categories such as cinematography, hair and make-up and costume design.
This of course has been a debate over the years, for instance, films that have been technically better and revolutionary such as Building 62 and the cutting edge editing, 16 Rounds and Blind Date, having better editing, cinematography and sound design, being shut out from technical categories only to be won by mediocre feature films.
Tears of Akello, a film about a girl who suffers at the hands of a stepmother but works her way out and succeeds; the film walked away with Best Feature film accolades beating City of Destiny, Don’t Look Back, Candia the Orphan and Mar Pa Nyek Mego. The film also collected awards for Best Screenplay, and Best Actress in Feature Film.
Competition in the Northern Uganda Film Awards is also broad, for instance, much as a few films end up walking away with most of the awards at most Ugandan shows, this had a number of surprises. Some films you would consider outsiders managed to bag an award or two and the Best Feature Film nominees did not dominate the technical categories as it usually happens. For example, The Crush, a film about a cigarette smuggler who finds herself in a life-altering predicament after a harrowing motorcycle accident while evading the revenue authority is truly superior in the cinematography department.
The short film thus was a deserving winner thanks to the amazing work by Elvis Dan Otim. The film also took home the award for Best Sound. According to Odong, the awards are open to films and filmmakers from the northern Uganda’s four subregions. Thus filmmakers from northern Uganda but living elsewhere can submit. For instance, he notes that Achan Eunice’s As I Dream was nominated even when she is based in Kampala. He also says that going forward, the awards will include a national category alongside East African and international categories for future editions. “Much as the main intention of the awards is to create awareness about films and for filmmakers from the region, we understand that we cannot do this without involvement of others beyond the region,” Odong says.
