It was glamour and pomp at the 8th edition of the Uganda Film Festival- held on Good Friday and presided over by the Minister of ICT and NG , Ms. Judith Nalule Nabakooba who hailed the Uganda Communication’s Commission , (UCC) for their leadership since 2013 that has seen the growth of Uganda’s nascent film industry .
Addressing a dressed-up audience of Kampala’s socialites , film actors/actresses and their promoters , Nabakooba said that the film industry was important for the development of our country.
“Film shapes our cultures; it defines who we are and it has the power to shape our destiny,” Nabakooba added at the event which was held under the theme “Rebuilding a resilient Industry through the Pandemic”.
The Minister said that the film industry will give the country a” window “through which Ugandans can be encouraged to rise up again after a year of battering by the deadly -novel -global Covid 19 pandemic .
“Through its motivational and emotional power, film has the power to guide our journey of growth to greater heights,” the minister stated while urging all Ugandan film makers to reflect the country’s priorities and use their talent to foster development and peace .
While echoing President Yoweri Museveni is directive to cabinet this week , Nabakooba challenged all the sector stakeholders to use their platforms to rally the youth to engage in income generating activities, create wealth and improve the general livelihoods.
She told actors to follow the good examples set by Nigeria through Nollywood, India’s Bollywood and USA’s Hollywood that multi billion dollar industries that employee millions of people.
Nabakooba noted that Uganda’s film industry was on the right trajectory because of late Uganda too, has produced Internationally competitive movies such as Queen of Katwe, Last King of Scotland and many others.
“It is even more encouraging to note that all these movies have had a connection with the Uganda Film Festival under UCC.”
She challenge all stakeholders led by UCC to think further and identify what is needed to move Uganda ‘s film industry to the next level.
“What will it take for our industry to become a recognized brand in Africa and world over? How can we develop our own unique identity just like the Indians and Nigerians have done?
How can we establish and maintain regional and international partnerships with International distributors and Producers.”
Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) is mandated to promote sustainable growth and through the Uganda Film Festival (UFF) the agency has been able to promote the immense talent that sits in our country while ensuring to facilitate a conducive operating environment for the film industry.
