KAMPALA – “Borders” a 15-episode mini TV series produced by sensational filmmaker Daphne Ampire Karema has gone live. The highly exciting project was launched on Sunday at Motiv – Bugolobi, Kampala.
Ms. HarrietNtabazi, the junior Minister for Trade presided over the launch that also brought together industry experts who hailed Karema for the massive project.
In her speech, Karema said the movie sector has the potential to shape Uganda’s image internationally- citing examples from the United States of America and Nigeria.
“I would like to express a viewpoint that many hold regarding America’s reputation as the best country in the world. It is often argued that America has successfully established itself as such through effective branding. Some skeptics question the portrayal of American fictitious characters like Rambo, who single-handedly eliminates thousands of enemies or the notion that aliens exclusively choose to land in America due to its status as the greatest nation on Earth. Just picture the impression we would leave on the world if we purposefully showcased our identity in our movies,” Ms. Karema said in a speech that moved the audience.
“It is crucial that we establish credibility for our country as the Pearl of Africa. In order to achieve this, we must ensure that our narrative resonates with international audiences. Just as we export coffee, we have the opportunity to export our movies and share our ideals with the rest of the world,” she added.
Karema believes that investing in the local movie industry would help the industry break into the highly competitive global movie market which requires good funding.
She adds that the government should create avenues for the key players to continually build their capacity and knowledge for better performance.
“It’s worth noting that the production of this film directly employed around 300 individuals, with an additional 200 benefiting indirectly. In total, approximately 500 people were able to earn a living through their involvement in this project,” she added.
The State Minister of Trade, Ms. Ntabazi Harriet encouraged filmmakers to have self-esteem and go out of their comfort zones to make change as creatives. She believes that filmmaking has been very educational and played a significant role in the shaping of society regarding the different roles and messages they display.
“I’m ready to support filmmakers if they come up as a team and form cooperatives through which the government of Uganda will provide financial support or any other kind of assistance,” she said.
“Borders” is a 15-episode mini-TV series that intricately narrates the lifestyle of an African Jewel Dance Troop as they navigate the daily struggles as artists and individuals. The series is a very linguistic story beautifully told in English, Luganda, and Swahili, offering viewers a diverse cultural glimpse and feel.
