Dbl Feat.: ONCE UPON A TIME IN UGANDA + BAD BLACK
ONCE UPON A TIME IN UGANDA
Two men from opposite sides of the world come together over a shared love of action cinema in this documentary from Cathryne Czubek (A GIRL AND A GUN) and Hugo Perez (NEITHER MEMORY NOR MAGIC). Dubbed Africa's Tarantino, Isaac Nabwana aka Nabwana I.G.G. (BAD BLACK) is a gonzo underground filmmaker making delirious action films in the slums of Kampala, Uganda. Welcome to "Wakaliwood," where a cottage industry has sprung up around Nabwana and his passionate band of cinephiles, who make the most of shoestring budgets and DIY special effects. On the other side of the world, Alan Hofmanis, a film programmer from New York, discovers Nabwana's films on YouTube and takes the next flight to Kampala. The two strike up an unlikely friendship and soon become brothers in arms as Hofmanis becomes Nabwana's producer and promoter and an unlikely action star. Tensions rise when Nabwana starts to receive international attention and his films go viral, threatening their partnership and all of Wakaliwood. Winner, Grand Jury Prize, 2021 DOC NYC. DIR/SCR/PROD Cathryne Czubek; DIR/PROD Hugo Perez; SCR Amanda Hughes; PROD Gigi Dement, Matt Porwoll, Kyaligamba Ark Martin. U.S./Uganda, 2021, color, 94 min. In English. NOT RATED
Followed by:
BAD BLACK
Welcome to Wakaliwood, Uganda, home of "da best of da best movies!" and the vanguards of DIY commando cinema. Under the guidance of writer/producer/director Isaac Nabwana (aka Nabwana I.G.G.) and producer/star Alan Hofmanis — subjects of this year's New African Film Festival selection ONCE UPON A TIME IN UGANDA — this crack crew of self-taught filmmakers and martial arts aficionados produces dozens of gonzo action films in the Kampala ghetto with budgets that rarely exceed $200. Utilizing scrap parts to build computers, machine guns and a full-sized Huey helicopter, these real-life superheroes pack more heart, imagination and soul into their films than most Hollywood blockbusters contain, and 2016's BAD BLACK is one of the best. A mild-mannered doctor (Hofmanis) is trained in the art of commando vengeance by a no-nonsense ghetto kid named Wesley Snipes (!) in an effort to retrieve a family heirloom from Uganda's toughest gang. In Uganda's finest storytelling tradition, the film is complemented by the acerbic wit of narrator/VJ (Video Joker) VJ Emmie, who sums up the Wakaliwood experience with a single sentiment: "It is a love story… love of action!" (Note adapted from American Genre Film Archive.) DIR/SCR/PROD Isaac Godfrey Geoffrey Nabwana; SCR/PROD Alan Ssali Hofmanis. Uganda, 2016, color, 69 min. In English and Luganda with English subtitles. NOT RATED
No AFI Member passes accepted.
CLICK HERE for the March 27 screening of ONCE UPON A TIME IN UGANDA
Run Time: 163 Minutes
Opening Date: Friday, March 25, 2022
Genre: Documentary