I wanted to learn about film. I had a passion for it and I just wanted to see what making film in Uganda is like. I knew how to write a script, I had also learnt African Cinema and film criticism at the university, but I had no idea how to transform a piece from a script to screen.
Growing up, I had the privilege of belonging to a family with a TV screen, a sign of wealth those days. Ours was black and white but it was just good enough and I had a sort of forbidden relationship with it.
See, our house depended on solar panels, so we only watched TV if the sun had been on its best behavior. Folk tales and riddles often replaced the TV. Naturally, I compared the stories I heard to the ones I saw in the “box”, and found they were a lot alike, they both were captivating. It never occurred to me that films were acted. I saw them all as true, and I was inspired to delve into filmmaking. Actually, I just wanted to write excellent scripts and sell them to Hollywood. I didn’t know any Ugandan filmmakers and I didn’t think I could go into anything beyond script writing because I didn’t have equipment. Even if I had wanted to use someone else’s equipment, I wouldn’t know how to find them.
Ours is a society where people are consistently mocking and poking fun at the arts, so artists often prefer to stay hidden. Being a part of the mobile film training in Kabale provided me with access to free equipment to work with, but more importantly, it introduced me to young people boldly passionate about film. They motivated me. I began reading more on filmmaking, I followed prominent filmmakers in the world on social media but there was only so much I could learn from them. This training opened my eyes to the true essence of filmmaking away from all the theory I had learnt. It showed me the practicality of it all; from script writing to the tediousness of video editing.
After the training, I wrote a short film called Blue Trigger and I submitted it to the Five for Five Fund. I was shortlisted to get $5,000, out of over 60 female filmmakers who applied. I was among the top fifteen. Even though I didn’t win, I’m elated that someone got to know my name and it gave me hope that I can someday be one of the greatest filmmakers. Being shortlisted for the Five for Five Fund opened new doors for me. I was invited to write for a TV series, and after writing, I was asked to be the Assistant Director.
This was a turning point in my life. There I was, working as a teacher, earning a meager salary, and after covid-19 I was unemployed for several months because schools were closed. It was depressing. Then I got this job and it was a calling to change career. Now all I think about is films; sometimes I write late into the night and I have to be up way earlier to get to set. It was tough in the beginning but being the assistant director, which is an administrative role in the production, has increased my belief in myself. I remember in our first writer’s meeting, I hardly said a word because I was very shy, but I can now walk into a room with great filmmakers knowing I belong, and I can speak confidently in front of people. I’m bolder. I’m no longer afraid to go after the things I want.