Symposium celebrates role of women in film industry

When the Women in Film was first held at the British Council in August 2023, it was intended to put a spotlight on the women behind the scenes and celebrate the journey and strides.

A year later, as the symposium goes into the second edition, there is more focus, and the organisers are also looking at more than just a celebration. For instance, Jesca Ahimbisibwe, the founder of Women in Film, says they are looking at a time when they can grant filmmakers grants to make films or by equipment.

But at the moment, the initiative is trying to bridge the gap between female filmmakers with their male counterparts and the market at large, but while at it, they also use the platform as a space to foster new talent through a monologue challenge.

But besides all that, the symposium seeks to unite two existing fractions within the film industry, the downtown and uptown filmmakers.

This year’s symposium will be taking place on October 26 at the Skyz Hotel in Naguru.

Flanked by filmmakers, Nana Kagga, Mariam Ndagire, and Veronica Nakayo joined Ahimbisibwe to launch this year’s edition of the Women in Film symposium.

During the launch, the women held a panel discussion about various issues in the film industry ranging from marketing, writing, collaboration, and above all, exploitation, which has been talked about in hushed tones for years in the industry.

Ndagire, for instance, talked about her journey, starting out in an industry neither she nor her collaborators understood at the beginning. However, she says they worked and consulted whenever they had an opportunity. Ndagire has successfully built a business in film, producing both TV series, films, and reality shows.

Over the years, she has since started a film school where actors and producers such as Sarah Kisauzi, Doreen Mirembe, Ronnie Nkalubo, and Veronica Nakayo, among others, were trained.

Nana Kagga says some of the best actors she has worked with have been actors trained by Mariam Ndagire.

She says she wishes when she had just started making films in Uganda, there were initiatives to make connections possible, like the symposium; there is a lot she would have pulled off.

There are two components of the symposium: the conversation, the monologue challenge, and workshops, some of which are already underway in Gulu. With directors and producers such as Allan Manzi, director and producer of Junior Drama Academy (JDC) on Pearl Magic Prime, Enock Tamale, and Nana Kagga. The workshops are about acting, directing, and writing for film.

Besides the training, however, Nana has used the workshops to caution girls to carry themselves with grace within the industry, especially when they show up for auditions.

“You should dress for the role you want in the film; if you want the role of a lawyer, don’t show up in skimpy clothes because the casting team will look at you and somehow typecast you,” she says.

This year, the monologue challenge attracted twelve actors; two of these, Jackline Katusiime and Sharon Atuhaire, are prominent for appearing in various productions both on stage and screen. Katusiime was nominated for Best Actress for her role in Unheard at this year’s ikon Awards. She has also appeared in films such as Catch Out, Beneath Beauty, and Foot Wine.

Atuhaire, on the other hand, is a familiar face from the local drama DamaLie as Susan.

According to Ahimbisibwe, while casting, people will always pick the actor who stands out; no one gives people roles because they are new and thus need opportunities; “you always audition against the best to get roles.”

Last year, Pelly Peninah Nampanga was a contestant, and luckily for her, she got a number of roles she crashed in the process. Sanyu, Sabotage, and Maria, which won her the Best Actress award at this year’s Uganda Film Festival gala.