Akii Bua movie to premier in Kampala

 

THE John Akii Bua story, which was shot in 2007 with scenes in Uganda and Germany and screened by BBC before  the Beijing Olympics Games will make its first international premier  October 18 at National Theatre in Kampala.

According to Crispin Buxton of Spinfilm, who joined hands with Passion to make the film, it will be a great opportunity for Ugandans to experience the 89-minute film, directed by Dan Gordon with John Battsek as an executive producer.

The documentary, which involved reliving Akii Bua’s life as an athlete, a father and a Police officer, will be launched at National theatre, before it is taken to Akii Bua’s hometown of Lira next month. It will also be part of the films that will be screened during the Amakula Film Festival.

History about Akii Bua’s film:  At the Munich Olympics of 1972, Ugandan John Akii Bua powered round the inside lane in the 400m hurdles, past English favourite and reigning Olympic Champion David Hemery, to win the gold medal, 10m clear of the field. The clock showed 47.82, an astonishing new world record.

Akii Bua was the first African to win gold in an event under 800 metres. He was also the first man to break the 48 seconds barrier in the 400 metre hurdles, an event so gruelling its nickname is 'The Mankiller'. But, while David Hemery retired to respectable fame and fortune, Akii Bua returned to a Uganda carving the name of its military 'President', Idi Amin, into genocidal notoriety.

After the glory of 1972, John never found prosperity in his country, beautiful but blighted by the Amin slaughter, tribal rivalries and poverty. Akii Bua's tribe, the Langi, were the primary victims of Amin's slaughter, and John's national popularity could only protect him for so long.

In 1979, Akii Bua fled for his life to Kenya. In the trauma, his wife gave birth prematurely, and the baby died. The couple did not even have the money to bury him.

Shortly afterwards, Akii Bua presented his former coach, Englishman Malcolm Arnold, with 12 foolscap notebooks. Arnold, astonished, found they contained Akii Bua's life story, written in longhand, in pencil, in English, his third language.

In 1983, with Amin ousted, Akii Bua returned to Uganda, his achievements and place in history seemingly forgotten. This is a film about the pinnacle of athletic achievement - and the search to discover what followed.