Tayebwa assures film makers of govt support

The  Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Thomas Tayebwa, has told filmmakers to count on the government’s support in bolstering the sector’s growth.

While presiding over the 10th edition of the Uganda Film festival awards gala at Uganda Institute of Information and Communications Technology (UICT) in Nakawa, Kampala last Friday,  Mr Tayebwa urged filmmakers to task the government for support and funding.

“I urge film-makers to make very creative concepts which would put us on task as government to work on the issue of funding,” he said, pledging to personally work on the issue of piracy, which he termed as a virus in the entertainment sector.

He added: “What remains for us to fight, of which I am going to be your biggest supporter, is the virus of piracy. We must fight piracy by all means so that our content creators can fully reap from their intellectual property.

 Mr Tayebwa further said the government is reviewing the copyright and neighbouring rights Act to align it with the new trends and also eliminate piracy.

“I want to guarantee you that the moment that law comes, within 45 days, Parliament will process it to the satisfaction of the players in the sector and I will ensure the key players in the sector are given an audience at Parliament so that you table your views properly and we capture them and you see who is supporting you as far as this sector is concerned, ”  he said.

Mr Tayebwa attributed this to the records that indicate 50 of  400 Ugandan films which have been nominated in the last 10 years have received awards at various international film festivals. He said this is evident that the sector has potential for growth.

He also called players in the film industry to organise themselves for effective mobilisation and coordination with the government and other stakeholders.

“The artistes organised themselves and we did some work for them. The other day,  the promoters called me and we are already making good progress after having an interaction. The moment you do not get organised, government fails to find a way of putting you among the top priorities. For you to be relevant, you have to be very organized. So I urge the players in the film industry to get organised and then we get a dialogue on how best we can support you with funding as government,” he said.

At the awards gala, a number of actors, actresses, and filmmakers were recognised and walked away with accolades. Mr Amon Nuwamanya won best actor, Ms Diana Nabatanzi (best actress), Mr Geoffrey Kasozi won best director for the “MUKISA” film and the  Lifetime Achievement Award went to Ms Mariam Ndagire. Ms Tracy Kababito won the Best lead actress in feature film.

 During the film festival organised by the Uganda Communications Commission, various activities are carried out to showcase Ugandan talent in the film exhibition market, film training, film forums and workshops, film screenings before the awards gala night.

The Uganda Film Festival is an annual celebration of Uganda’s best talent in the film industry where leading actors, actresses, film directors, scriptwriters and other creatives are recognised for their outstanding role in the development of the film industry.