Location | Kampala, Uganda |
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Founded | 2011 |
Awards | Pearl |
Website | www |
The Pearl International Film Festival (PIFF), is an annual film festival held in Kampala, Uganda. It has been described as one of the biggest film events in Uganda. [1] [2] PIFF is a non-governmental organization founded by Moses Magezi [3] and established in 2011 to develop and promote film and other cultural industries as catalyst for the regional social and economic growth. The first edition of PIFF happened at the National Theatre and still will holds other edition every May. [4] [5]
The annual multi disciplinary arts and cultural festival is PIFF’s major activity; the festival is an all-arts affair, with a week of screenings of the best local cinema and an awarding evening Gala. The festival also aims to draw attention to raise the profile of films with the aim of contributing towards the development of cinema, boosting the film industry worldwide and celebrating Ugandan cinema at currently at the national level.
The PIFF festival now runs 5 programs over a week that include:
During the festival, films are shown in the capital Kampala.
Mira Nair is an Indian-American filmmaker based in New York City. Her production company, Mirabai Films, specializes in films for international audiences on Indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural spheres. Among her best known films are Mississippi Masala, The Namesake, the Golden Lion–winning Monsoon Wedding, and Salaam Bombay!, which received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language.
The Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou is a film festival in Burkina Faso, held biennially in Ouagadougou, where the organization is based. It accepts for competition only films by African filmmakers and chiefly produced in Africa. FESPACO is scheduled in March every second year, two weeks after the last Saturday of February. Its opening night is held in the Stade du 4-Août, the national stadium.
The Cairo International Film Festival is an annual internationally accredited film festival held in Cairo Opera House. It was established in 1976 and has taken place every year since its inception, except for 2011 and 2013, when it was cancelled due to budget limitations and political instability. It is the only international competitive feature film festival recognized by the FIAPF in the Arab world and Africa, as well as the oldest in this category.
The city of Thiruvananthapuram has been the centre of cultural activities of Kerala (India) from the time it was made capital of Travancore in 1745. The capital city is a major intellectual and artistic center. The Thiruvananthapuram Museum and Thiruvananthapuram Zoo were started during the reign of Swathi Thirunal (1813–1847) and are one of the oldest of their kind in India. The city's libraries include the Trivandrum Public library, which was started in 1829. The Swathi Thirunal College of Music and 'College of fine arts' are the leading institutions related to music and arts.
The Uganda Communications Commission(UCC) is the government regulatory body of the communications sector in Uganda. Although owned by the Ugandan government, it acts independently. Its mandated responsibilities include licensing, regulation, communications infrastructure development and the expansion of rural communications service.
The emerging film industry in Uganda is known as Ugawood or sometimes Kinauganda by the locals. The 2005 production Feelings Struggle directed by Ashraf Ssemwogerere is credited with being the first Ugawood film. Many have asserted that this steadily growing film industry is derived from Hollywood, in the same manner as Nollywood and Bollywood. In a story that ran in a local newspaper in Uganda about the naming of the industry, filmmakers Kuddzu Isaac, Matt Bish and Usama Mukwaya were quoted as saying that Ugawood would be the most appropriate name for the industry.
The Provincetown International Film Festival (PIFF) is an annual film festival founded in 1999 and held on Cape Cod in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The festival presents American and international narrative features, documentaries and short films for five days in June of each year.
Bouncing Cats is a 2010 documentary film written and directed by Australian-American director and photographer Nabil Elderkin. The film follows the efforts of Abraham "Abramz" Tekya and Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU) to use dance to empower youth in war-torn Uganda. The film is a testimony of Crazy Legs of Rock Steady Crew and his experiences in the BPU program. The film features narration by Common and additional interviews with Mos Def, will.i.am and K'Naan. Also appearing in the film is Okot Jolly Grace, whose guidance enabled the filmmakers to see and understand the plight of children in northern Uganda.
The Festival of African Cinema (FCAT), also known as Tarifa-Tangier African Film Festival, originally African Film Showcase of Tarifa (2004–2006) and formerly African Film Festival of Tarifa (2007–2014), the African Film Festival of Cordoba (2012–2015), is an annual festival devoted to African cinema held in the Spanish city of Tarifa and the Moroccan city of Tangier.
Usama "Osam" Nyanzi Mukwaya is a Ugandan screenwriter, film director, producer, actor and former television host. He has received several accolades, including nominations for an Ama Award and three Amvca Awards.
A growing number of film festivals are held in the Arab world to showcase films from the region as well as international standouts. In addition, institutions and organizations in other parts of the world are increasingly honoring the new generation of filmmakers in the Arab world with Arab film festivals.
The 3rd Pearl International Film Festival took place in Kampala, Uganda from 13 to 16 May 2013. King's Virgin won Best Picture. Film director Prince Joe Nakibinge was awarded the best director prize. Film director Matt Bish was the festival chief jury. He was previously the winner of best film at the 2nd edition in 2012. The festival also had special screenings of two African films, Nairobi Half Life and Nina's Dowry that initially vied for the Best Foreign Film award that was later removed from the categories.
Edrisah Kenzo Musuuza, professionally known as Eddy Kenzo, is a Ugandan singer, music executive, the president and founder of Uganda National Musicians Federation and a member of Big Talent Entertainment. He made his breakthrough after the release of his single Stamina. He received international attention after the release of his single, "Sitya Loss" in 2014 and an accompanying viral video that featured the Ghetto Kids. In total, he has released 4 albums, including Roots in 2018 and most recently Made in Africa in 2021. Kenzo has also won a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award in 2018, a BET Award in 2015, and multiple All Africa Music Awards.
Ediu George Stanley Nsamba, also known as "Nes" is a Ugandan film producer, director, cinematographer, screenwriter, editor, spoken-word artist and human rights activist.
The Pune International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Pune, a city in Maharashtra, India. Open to general public, the films are screened at NFAI, Inox, City Pride, PVR cinema halls, all located in Pune city.
A Dog Story is a Ugandan short film about Atim, a young woman who tries to escape from her abductor Bongwat and comes face to face with the reality of what it means to be an abductee, and the consequences of requiting his love. It was produced by actress and dental assistant Doreen Mirembe as her debut production.
Mr. Ability is a 2016 short Ugandan documentary film about Simon Peter Lubega, a crippled artisan in Kampala. It was directed by Joel Okuyo Atiku and won the International Category at the Focus on Ability Awards 2016 in Australia by the decision of the judges. Mr. Ability was the Special Request Screening for the December 2016 UN Human Rights Day in Morocco. It also won the award for Best Documentary at Pearl International Film Festival (PIFF) in Kampala. The music score includes a Ugandan song with the same title performed by Radio & Weasel featuring Rabadaba. Mr. Ability is a 5-minute eye opener to those who think disability is inability. It was nominated among the Top 10 Films for the Discovery Channel's Don't Stop Wondering Africa Awards at the Jozi Film Festival in 2017.
The Uganda Film Festival Awards, also known as UFF Awards, are presented annually to recognize excellence in the film Industry in Uganda. The awards started in 2013 under a Uganda Communications Commission initiative to recognize and develop the Ugandan film industry. Nominated films are screened at a five-day festival that also runs training, workshops, exhibitions and outreaches. The awarding night marks the helm of the film festival that runs for three days.
Dominica or Dominic Dipio is a Ugandan religious sister, a filmmaker, author and a professor of Literature and Film at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. As a sister, she belongs to the Institute of the Missionary Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church, MSMMC, a Ugandan-founded religious congregation in Roman Catholic Diocese of Lira in Northern Uganda. In November 2019 she was appointed Consultor of the Pontifical Council for Culture by Pope Francis.