Uganda Film named “I Am Much More” acted by Katanga slum based children has been selected to premier at the 19th 2024 Marbella International Film Festival (MIFF) in Spain on 2nd to 6th October.
This marks Uganda’s first-ever film selected for a premiere on this prestigious international platform in Spain, as announced by the Uganda Communications Commission in partnership with Help Africa and Rotary District 9213.
The Ugandan film “I am Much More” is among the very few selected from the 600 films that expressed interest. The characters in this film are children from some of the poorest families in Katanga, one of the biggest slums in Kampala, who are supported to access education by Help Africa, one of Rotary District 9213’s partners.
Through the sponsorship of Uganda Communications Commission, the main character of the film, Ms Prosy Nabasumba, is flying to Marbella, Spain, to attend the festival in which the film will be premiering.
The Marbella International Film Festival is an international cultural festival that brings together artists and film producers from all over the globe to display their talents through their films. The 19th Marbella International Film Festival will take place between October 2-6, 2024.
Prossy Nabasumba, 19, will represent her teammates at the Marbella International Film Festival in Spain next month. In her speech, she expressed gratitude to Help Africa for uplifting her from a vulnerable situation and thanked UCC for sponsoring her airfare to Spain.
Hon. Nyombi Thembo, the Executive Director of UCC, cautioned winners about the pitfalls of celebrity status, with an emphasis on the importance of staying focused and committed to their mission.
“As you go to Spain, you are now becoming a celebrity, you know the trappings of celebrity?. We’ve seen so many talents going to ashes because of those trappings. So you must know that you are now becoming a celebrating, keep focused, keep focused on your mission, don’t look away from your mission.” He said
Nyombi stated that the commission is eager to support these children because the program aligns with their commitment to basic education and the empowerment of young people and creatives, which they hold dear.
“When they came to my office to ask for support, after they had introduced what their achievement was, we didn’t even blink to approve this support. Because it touches the three areas which is closest to our hearts here at the UCC. One of those areas is basic education, when you support education, you support the nation, because that’s the foundation of everything that we do. Two, young You know our the dynamics of our demography, we have close to 70% of our people are young people. The third one is supporting the creatives.” He said.
He also emphasized that the commission supports creatives, as they play a crucial role in communication by providing entertainment and alleviating boredom for everyone.
“Creatives are a very big component of communications, or telecommunication for that matter, what drives broadcasting, what drives telecommunication, is content. Content is a product of the creatives, people create things that keep our faces, our eyebrows glued to the screens, or our ears listening to the waves and the content creators, so content creation is very, very important.” He added.
Mariam Mirembe Kayaga, the CEO of Help Africa, praised the Uganda Communications Commission for their support and the opportunity provided. She noted that the film “I Am Much More” is inspired by the lives of children from the poorest families in the Katanga slum. Kayaga emphasized that this film tells a powerful story of hope and transformation, drawing on the experiences of beneficiaries from Katanga, one of the largest slums where Help Africa works to improve access to education.
Anne Nkutu, the Rotary District 9213 Director General, commended Help Africa for nurturing talent and urged Prossy Nabasumba to inspire children facing challenges similar to those she experienced.
“Be your best self so that you can inspire anybody else. Be the best children you can be so that other children can look at you and say we want to be like her.” She said.
Prossy Nabasumba, 19, will represent her teammates at the Marbella International Film Festival in Spain next month. In her speech, she expressed gratitude to Help Africa for uplifting her from a vulnerable situation and thanked UCC for sponsoring her airfare to Spain
Since 2022, Rotary District 9213 under its Basic Education and Literacy Enhancement Programme (BELEP), has devoted resources and focus towards enhancing the efforts of the Ministry of Education and Sports and other parts oppor Hasle education and literacy Consequently, various interventions have been made in the areas of Music, Dance and Drama to promote the education, film and tourism sectors in Uganda.
