Take 1
Everything today is different. For our on screen entertainment we have a long list of documentaries. Not that I’m complaining but documentaries are not my thing and today’s, are particularly not as engaging as the ones we’ve been watching. During the day, the theatre is mostly quiet outside and in the viewing halls the people are still countable. However, as the day wears on, things begin to look up and the theatre is bustling with activity. By the time the “Uganda Focus” begins at 3.30pm, the auditorium has considerably more people and by nightfall, things are looking up.

I am tempted to think that perhaps this week we shall have bigger crowds and as I walk past the main notice board, a smile crosses my face when I notice people checking away at movies they want to watch. For the first time this season, the Kino Hut registers a full column and also for the first time, the Green Room gets full during a discussion on Sarah Nsigaye’s documentary “Hour of Death” (about two expectant mothers in the process of delivery one by a traditional birth attendant and the other in a hospital) and at the “Ethiopian Focus” later on in the evening.

The one thing that sullies my growing optimism comes later on in the evening when I learn that part of the sudden swell of human buzz around the lobby owes to the Jam Session in the crafts village. Those hair-brained geniuses test their equipment for close to two hours and cause such a raucous. Nonetheless, there is significant improvement in the crowds today, my hope remains that they keep swelling till we get a full house.

Day’s Recap
“Uganda Focus” II and III are today’s big event. I had hoped for some feature films but all we get is documentaries, though I don’t see the audience complain. The first three documentaries are good. The one on circumcision has the men grinding their teeth but the crowd favourite comes from Robert Isegawa’s exegesis of faith systems in Ugandan. It reveals some shocking traditional practices still alive today but what I find most interesting is the striking similarity in principle and character with the Biwempe (Pentecostal) Movement.

One member of the audience Carolyn Resytuta says she can’t believe that some these practices still exist. She says she had heard of them before but seeing them on screen gives them a harrowing reality. My immediate neighbour during the viewing is an elderly white lady. I do not interview after but her reactions while the documentary is playing are very interesting. Her sudden shifts from ashen horror to amusement are entertaining. It is a bit difficult to transcribe those expressions into words you can clearly picture but they were priceless to watch.

In terms of actual cinematography, the cake goes to Boda Boda for Joseph, a 52-minute documentary by Winnie Gamisha and Andreas Frowein. When they later explain that is was made to raise funds in Europe, I forgive them for quantifying nearly everything in Euros, which on another day would have been insulting. Theirs was the most professionally done piece I have seen from Uganda yet. The characters were so natural and uncamera-conscious (which totally defeats Ugandan nature) that at some points I started to wonder if these guys had used hidden cams. It was so good that during Q&A, all the hapless viewers could do, was compliment them and seek pointers on how what and what was done.

Today’s Review
Our review today is rather short and comes from the 8 o’clock segment on Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush. For those who may not know who Charlie Chaplin is, he was the hero of silent movies in the 1920s and in many respects the father of comedy. If you thought Mr. Bean and Didi’s Comedy show were rib-crackers, you have definitely not watched Charlie Chaplin. His brand of comedy is timeless, and it will continue to be enjoyed for generations to come.

Because Charlie’s was a silent movie, there isn’t much to review so I’ll run along to what made this feature the highlight of the night, and that was none other Pita Ryms and the band. They provided live accompaniment to the movie and it was beautiful. According one member of the audience who declined to give his name, it was culturally extruded; Charlie Chaplin with xylophones and violins and shakers and traditional drums were definitely something he would never have dreamt of seeing and in my head, something went ‘only at Amakula!’

Whereas popular local Actor Michael Wawuyo found it doubly nostalgic (the traditional sound and classic movie), renowned visual artist Xenson Senkaaba on the one hand begged to differ. He categorically said “I didn’t like the music. It wasn’t bad, but I like my silent movies silent. From the rest of the audience, they seemed to be pretty amazed but on my part, I failed to see the relevance to the theme; “Visionary Histories.”
*Written by Edgar Kangere