The nominees for the 2023 Uganda Film Festival (UFF) Awards are out.
Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) the organizer of the annual festival and awards published the nominees list on Monday.
When You Become Me, a movie by Reach a Hand Uganda (RAHU) has scooped numerous nods including Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Lead Actress, Best Post-production Editing, Best Sound Design, Best Makeup, Best Production Designer, Best Cinematography and Viewers’ Choice.
Directed by Mathew Nabwiso (Sanyu), the film sheds light on disability discrimination, family rejection, true love and self-doubt.
The story centers on 24-year-old Africa Masiko (Doreck Ankunda) who is a speech-impaired budding writer. She is drawn to a story of Liam, a visually-impaired highly revered accountant in the financial world who has been denied a promotion at his workplace simply because of his disability. His bosses instead opt for an inexperienced junior staffer who is a nephew of the board chairperson.
Like Liam, Africa (an editorial assistant for a bulletin agency) is discriminated against and exploited. Soon, she quits after her boss Lionel (Mathew Nabwiso) attempts to sexually harass her.
Written by Aganza Kisaka and Ambrose Ngobi, the groundbreaking film premiered on March 15 and the cast includes people with different abilities.
The other nominees for Best Feature Film are The Passenger, Kafa Coh, The Kitara Chronicles and Mukisa.
Nabwiso, Doreen Mirembe & Gilbert Lukalia (Kafa Coh), Geoffrey Kasozi (Mukisa), Hadijah Nakanjako (The Passenger) and Yiga Sadat (The Kitara Chronicles) are up for the coveted accolade of Best Director.
Nominated for Best Lead Actor (in a film) are Katongole Henry, Mather Kavuma, Michael Wawuyo Snr., Blaire Koono and Sammy Wetala while the Best Lead Actress (in a film) category has Nana Kagga, Doreen Mirembe, Tracy Kababito, Ankunda Doreck and Tania S. Kankindi.
Also among this year’s highly coveted films are The Passenger (2023) and Kafa Coh (2022) which too have dominated the list.
The Passenger (directed by Hadijah Nakanjako) tells a story of a young man who tries to deliver a mysterious package to the city on a bus but another passenger thinks he is a killer carrying a mutilated body or bomb, and is determined to stop him. It stars Allen Musimba, Olot Bonny Elem and Henry Nathan Katongole.
The film has been nominated for Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Film (indigenous language), Viewers’ Choice, Best Supporting Actress, Best Lead Actress, Best Lead Actor, Best Sreenplay, Best Post-production/Editing, Best Sound Design, Best Production Designer and Best Cinematography.
Kafa Coh is up for Bes feature film, Best Director, Viewers’ Choice, Best Lead Actress, Best Lead Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Post-production/Editing, Best Sound Design, Best Production Designer, Best Cinematography and Best Costume Designer.
The film which won Best Film, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress and the inaugural iKon Awards in March features Kalu Ikeagwu (Nigerian actor), Doreen Mirembe, singer, producer and actor Mariam Ndagire, Abby Mukiibi Nkaaga and Micahel Wawuyo Snr.
For the TV category, Caught In, Choices, JDC, Prestige and Kojja are nominees for Best TV Drama/Series.
Gaetano Kaggwa, Amon Nuwamanya, Raymond Rushabiro, Ryan Kaliisa and Fernando Kamugisha are up for Best Actor in a TV Drama/Series while Wenyisa Maureen Nelson, Cleopatra Koheirwe, Diana Nabatanzi, Nakigoye Allen Nelson, Diana Kahunde are nominated for Best Actress in a TV Drama Series.
UCC began receiving movie submissions for the 10th edition of Uganda Film Festival in December last year. Filmmakers had three months to submit their works through the Film Free Way portal.
In the run-up to the Awards gala on June 2, UCC together with other partners like MultiChoice Uganda will conduct cinema screenings for the nominated films, training workshops for filmmakers as well as regional film competitions across Uganda.
The Uganda Film Festival was established in 2013 to promote the local film industry both locally and internationally, and to bring all the industry stakeholders together in a more focused and structured environment.
This, the government hopes will create a lucrative industry economically and socially to preserve Uganda’s national values through film.
At the previous edition of UFF Awards, Tembele won Best Feature Film while Patriq Nkakalukanyi won Best Actor in Feature Film and Nana Kagga scooped Best Actress in Feature Film. Mulindwa Maynard won Best Director while Best Actor and Best Actress in TV Drama Series went to Allan Kutos Katongole and Evelyne Mirembe Namatovu respectively.
