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Women chest thump as ‘Celebrating Womanhood Film Awards’ get closer

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Women chest thump as ‘Celebrating Womanhood Film Awards’ get closer

Sarah Nsigaye, the Executive Director of the Native Voice International with Josephine Kabahumaduring the Press conference where the finalists where unveiled at serena Hotel this week

When Irene Seremba joined the Holy Images Film Company in March 2015 while still a student at YMCA, she was placed in the department of actresses. After few months, she realised that there were more opportunities in the film industry than acting which most of the girls were avoiding and she decided to learn them.

“Many of my colleagues only focused on acting. Most of them didn’t even know how to switch off the lights after the acting. Since my childhood I loved being unique. I started slowly with learning how my directors were doing their jobs and eventually I succeeded,” she says.

In 2016 her employers assigned her to be a script supervisor in a project, a job she did with all her heart and effort. “As I continued being a script supervisor and actor, I started to slowly save some money in order to come up with my own film.  In 2016 I shot some of the scenes. Unfortunately the drive that had my work got corrupted. I lost each and everything but I did not give up. I again saved until when I came up with a movie,” she says.

L-R; Robert Nkambo a film maker, Molly Nakamya who sits on the selection committee, Eleanor Nabwiso one of the nominees, Sarah Nsigaye, the ED of Native Voice International, Josephine Kabahuma and Irene Seremba (some of the nominees) during the unveiling at Serena hotel in Kampala

Her film, titled ‘The White Devil’ is among the 40 films that were nominated to compete in the 2020 Celebrating Womanhood Film Awards. She was nominated in two categories – Best Independent Producer and Best Director.

Like Seremba, there are many other women in the film industry who have put acting on the side  and ventured into technical work  including directing, script writing, editing and standing behind the Cameras.

Josephine Kabahuma, a student of Journalism and Mass Communication at Makerere University is also among the nominees for the awards. She was nominated as Best director for her film ‘Demented’. Kabahuma is an actress, a script writer, creative writer, a director, costume designer, production designer and a producer, working with Kyooto Media Group Limited in Kampala.

“Being a literature student, since my high school, I loved telling stories and I thought that I can do so through writing short stories in novels. But when I was introduced to script writing, my focus changed from novels to films,” she said “I realised that so many girls are so excited about acting and they didn’t realise that even these other departments need them. They don’t know the value of being behind the camera.” she said

Eleneanor Nabwiso (L) and Nsigaye

Kabahuma said that although it is a bit challenging to take up all these roles as a lady, she has broke the myth where men take ladies to be  a weaker sex by doing it better than some of them.

“Men take us to be weak yet we are also strong. For instance, when a lady does something great, men perceive it to be so big yet we can do some things even better than the,” she said.

Nsigaye (R), Nabwiso (C) and Molly

As a means of encouraging more and more women to join the technical roles in the film industry, the Native Voices International have this year introduced annual awards that are aimed at recognising the best outstanding women who are making a difference in the film, media and art industries during their annual Celebrating Womanhood Festival project which shall be held between 3rd and 6th of March under the theme: From the horse’s mouth- a woman’s Narra’.

The awards that will take place on the 6th of March at Serena hotel in Kampala will  recognise films that have been done by women and have emerged as; Best Film, Best Documentary Film and Best Animated Film.

The awards for individuals include Best Director, Best Independent Producer, Best Original Screen Play, Best Adopted Screen Play, Best Cinematographer and the Best male feminist which will be given to a  man who has  done a film that promotes women affairs.

Other categories are; Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Ugandan Film, Best Make up, Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Score, Best Song and Best TV Series.

While unveiling the nominees at Serena hotel in Kampala this week, Sarah Nsigaye Kizza, the Executive Director of the Native Voices International, said that there was need for women to take up positions and tell their own stories instead of waiting for men to tell those stories on their behalf.

“We have different ways of interpreting things and that is why we said that let women do things according to the way they see them in their own perspectives and one of the ways of doing this is providing platforms such as festivals where they can show case their films but also recognise and award them,” she said. “We as Native are building on efforts that women are doing.  Women have done a lot and we need to compliment them, award them and take charge in telling our own narratives”

Nsigaye added that, a total of 117 films were received but only 40 made it to the final because most of them were from men yet the competition is designated for only women and others lacked the required standards.

“Women have been most of the time in front of the camera; they were playing a title of pleasing men, massaging their egos and being viewed as sex objects. With this number of submissions, in the years to come, women will be dominating key positions in the film industry.”

She said that they decided to come up with these awards to encourage women to join the industry, especially in these technical positions.

The awards attracted entries from different countries including Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Mozambique, Benin, Tanzania, Bukinafaso Morocco, Benin, Democratic Republic of Congo, Togo, Italy and Germany.

“We have over 30 filmmakers from 21 countries coming to Uganda and they will interact with our filmmakers, speak about collaboration, and that is the essence of festivals beyond the awards,” Nsigaye said.

 

BELOW IS THE FINAL LIST

CATEGORY FILM TITLE FILMMAKER COUNTRY
BEST ACTRESS
  BABY GIRL HILARY LOIS NUNOO –

(ACTRESS)

GHANA
  BED OF THORNS MALAIKA NYANZI

(ACTRESS)

UGANDA
  IN THE NAME OF LOVE THERESA CHILESHE

(ACTRESS)

ZAMBIA
  LITTLE BLACK DRESS ESTERSI TEBANDEKE

(ACTRESS)

UGANDA
BEST ANIMATION
1 BLACK BARBIE COMFORT ARTHUR GHANA
  I AM LIVING IN GHANA GET ME

OUT OF HERE

COMFORT ARTHUR GHANA

 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
  FLESH UP MICHELA OCCHIPINTI ITALY
  LITTLE BLACK DRESS ESTERITEBANDEKE UGANDA
  TAME THE SILENT KILLER JUDITH AUDU NIGERIA
BEST DIRECTOR
  BED OF THORNS ELEANOR NABWISO UGANDA
  BUTCHERY ANNA VESELOVA KENYA
  DARK SEPTEMBER BRIDGET KASHIBA ZAMBIA
  FLESH UP MICHELA OCCHIPINTI ITALY
  LITTLE BLACK DRESS ESTERITEBANDEKE UGANDA
  THE FOURTH SIDE UYOYOUADIA NIGERIA
  THE WHITE DEVIL SEREMBA IRENE UGANDA
BEST DOCUMENTARY
  AWANI ADERONKEADEOLA NIGERIA
  IN SEARCH BERYL MAGOKO GERMANY & KENYA
  LAATASH ELENA MOLINA SPAIN
  SILENT TITANS MAGDALENE EYRAM

KWASHIE

GHANA
  THE CHOICE OF THE FA GIOVANNIAATODJINOU

ZINSOU

BENIN
  WOMEN HOLD UP THE SKY CONNIE NAGIAH SOUTH AFRICA
 
BEST EDITOR
  LITTLE BLACK DRESS ESTERITEBANDEKE UGANDA
  TAME THE SILENT KILLER JUDITH AUDU NIGERIA
  TERRA PESADA LESLIE BORSTEIN MOZAMBIQUE
  THE CHOICE OF THE FA GIOVANNIAATODJINOU

ZINSOU

BENIN
BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM
  MIRABEL JUDITH AUDU NIGERIA
  THE INNER WAR CISSY NALUMANSI UGANDA
BEST FEATURE
  BED OF THORNS ELAENORNABWISO UGANDA
  DARK SEPTEMBER BRIDGET KASHIBA ZAMBIA
  FLESH UP MICHELA OCCHIPINTI ITALY
  IN THE NAME OF LOVE BRIDGET KASHIBA&

OLIVER KAOMA

ZAMBIA
  NIKABYANGU FARIDAH NYAMACHUBE

& MARTIN MHANDO

TANZANIA
BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCER
  AWANI ADERONKEADEOLA NIGERIA
  BED OF THORNS ELEANOR NABWISO UGANDA
  TERRA PESADA LESLIE BORSTEIN MOZAMBIQUE
  WHITE DEVIL SEREMBA IRENE UGANDA
BEST MAKE UP
  BED OF THORNS ELEANOR NABWISO UGANDA
  IDI AMIN’S BOAT GRACE NABINSEKE UGANDA
  MIRABEL JUDITH AUDU
BEST PICTURE
  BED OF THORNS ELEANOR NABWISO UGANDA
  FLESH UP MICHELA OCCHIPINTI ITALY
  LEILA KOURAOGO ISABELLE

CHRISTINE

BURKINA FASO &

MOROCCO

   FA SO: THE CHOICE OF THE FA GIOVANNIAATODJINOU

ZINSOU

BENIN
  THE FOURTH SIDE UYOYOUADIA NIGERIA
BEST SCRIPT WRITER
  BED OF THORNS ELEANOR NABWISO UGANDA
  CHUMA FAITH MUSEMBI KENYA
  ENGULFED EMILY AVILA GHANA
  FLESH UP MICHELA OCCHIPINTI ITALY
BEST SHORT FILM
  BABY GIRL SELASIEDJAMEH GHANA
  CHUMA FAITH MUSEMBI KENYA
  DEMENTED JOSEPHINE KABAHUMA UGANDA
  ENGULFED EMILY AVILA GHANA
  EQUANIMITY KIZITO SAMUEL SAVIOUR UGANDA
  FAMILY TREE NICOLE MAGABO

KIGGUNDU

UGANDA
  LITTLE BLACK DRESS ESTERITEBANDEKE UGANDA
  MY DAY ELEANOR NABWISO UGANDA
  NAISULA KARANJA NG’ENDO KENYA
  OSMOSE ELEANOR COYETTE DRC
  PASSPORT KOMLA ROGER

GBEKOU

TOGO
  XOXO MERCY MUTISYA KENYA
BEST SOUND RECORDING
  BED OF THORNS ELEANOR NABWISO UGANDA
  FLESH UP MICHELA OCCHIPINTI ITALY
  IN SEARCH BERYL MAGOKO GERMANY & KENYA
  LITTLE BLACK DRESS ESTERITEBANDEKE UGANDA
  TAME SILENT THE SILENT KILLER JUDITH AUDU NIGERIA
  FA SO: THE CHOICE OF THE FA GIOVANNIAATODJINOU

ZINSOU

BENIN
BEST STUDENT FILM
  IDI AMIN’S BOAT GRACE NABINSEKE UGANDA
  LULU THE PEARL BOXER ASIMWE JOHN

BIBAGAMBA

TANZANIA
  NINZAHI TUGUME VERENAH UGANDA
  SURVIVE BERNADETTE VIVUYA DRC
BEST WEB SERIES
  I AM LIVING IN GHANA GET ME

OUT OF HERE

COMFORT ARTHUR GHANA
  UBUNTU DRAMA SERIES JONES NASILELE ZAMBIA
BEST MALE FEMNIST
  JUST DO YOUR THING ROBERT NKAMBO UGANDA
  ZERO MOIMIWEZAM DRC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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