Amakula to harness local film talent
Jun 03, 2005
It took Kampala by surprise and thrilled Ugandan film lovers across the board when it took big screen cinema down to makeshift video halls free of charge.
By Sebidde Kiryowa
It took Kampala by surprise and thrilled Ugandan film lovers across the board when it took big screen cinema down to makeshift video halls free of charge.
This year, besides just showcasing feature films from around the world and a few documentaries from Uganda, the festival seeks to work with and develop local film talent.
The second Amakula Kampala International Film Festival, will be held in Kampala from September 15-25. The central venue of the festival is the National Theatre, while additional locations include Cineplex theatres, The Plaza Theatre, Bat Valley Theatre, bibanda, Makerere University, Alliance Francaise and Ndere Centre.
Ras Jingo Kasujja, the festival’s publicity secretary, says the talent they saw last year was overwhelming.
“Besides the documentaries and few feature films we got from Uganda, we were approached by many local scriptwriters last year. Most of them were about HIV/AIDS whereas others tackled war in the north.â€
A local feature film, Full of Energy, produced by Great Lakes Studio, won an award at the Zanizibar film festival after being showcased at the Amakula festival.
Kasujja says they decided to form a Cine Club, which seeks to work with local up-coming filmmakers like Maisha Film Lab (which is an initiative of Hollywood director, Mira Nair’s Great Lakes studio, VCL, Ashraf Semwogerere and Ivory Productions.
Great Lakes studios has just released a feature film called Feelings Struggle, while the Ivory Productions film is titled The Struggle.
Kasujja adds that, like last year, filmmakers from Brazil, France and Congo will be at hand to assist the enthusiasts.
Amakula film is the brainchild of Lee Ellickson, an American filmmaker and Alice Smits, an art historian and curator from the Netherlands. They started it with a view to providing awareness of cinema (with emphasis on African cinema) as a tool to promote social and cultural interaction.
“They will provide workshops, seminars and lectures on practical and theoretical aspects of documentary film production and discussions focusing on important issues of the day,†he says. The festival is organised by Amakula Kampala Cultural Foundation, whose board constitutes both Ugandan and foreign film professionals.
Ends
It took Kampala by surprise and thrilled Ugandan film lovers across the board when it took big screen cinema down to makeshift video halls free of charge.
This year, besides just showcasing feature films from around the world and a few documentaries from Uganda, the festival seeks to work with and develop local film talent.
The second Amakula Kampala International Film Festival, will be held in Kampala from September 15-25. The central venue of the festival is the National Theatre, while additional locations include Cineplex theatres, The Plaza Theatre, Bat Valley Theatre, bibanda, Makerere University, Alliance Francaise and Ndere Centre.
Ras Jingo Kasujja, the festival’s publicity secretary, says the talent they saw last year was overwhelming.
“Besides the documentaries and few feature films we got from Uganda, we were approached by many local scriptwriters last year. Most of them were about HIV/AIDS whereas others tackled war in the north.â€
A local feature film, Full of Energy, produced by Great Lakes Studio, won an award at the Zanizibar film festival after being showcased at the Amakula festival.
Kasujja says they decided to form a Cine Club, which seeks to work with local up-coming filmmakers like Maisha Film Lab (which is an initiative of Hollywood director, Mira Nair’s Great Lakes studio, VCL, Ashraf Semwogerere and Ivory Productions.
Great Lakes studios has just released a feature film called Feelings Struggle, while the Ivory Productions film is titled The Struggle.
Kasujja adds that, like last year, filmmakers from Brazil, France and Congo will be at hand to assist the enthusiasts.
Amakula film is the brainchild of Lee Ellickson, an American filmmaker and Alice Smits, an art historian and curator from the Netherlands. They started it with a view to providing awareness of cinema (with emphasis on African cinema) as a tool to promote social and cultural interaction.
“They will provide workshops, seminars and lectures on practical and theoretical aspects of documentary film production and discussions focusing on important issues of the day,†he says. The festival is organised by Amakula Kampala Cultural Foundation, whose board constitutes both Ugandan and foreign film professionals.
Ends