Once Upon a Time in Uganda
Cathryne Czubek’s enthusiastic documentary follows the growing success of a Ugandan filmmaker specialising in low-budget action movies.
For the right viewer this will be a very engaging film and I suspect that, should they seek it out, among them could be a number of young people, who would normally never consider watching a documentary. The focus here is on Isaac Nabwana, a Ugandan brickmaker whose love for cinema led him to make films himself - and not just in a small way for we are told at one point that he has made forty-seven of them in eleven years. Nabwana, credited on his films as Nabwana I.G.G., is somebody who carries immense appeal on two levels. First, his passion for what he does is so energising that all audiences will surely be won over by it and, secondly, the films that he makes are action comedies with killings galore which is where he will arouse strong enthusiasm from some albeit not from all.
Nabwana’s feature film Crazy Heart was shown at the Toronto Film Festival in 2019, an event that provides a climax to this documentary by Cathryne Czubev. The highly positive response of that audience confirms that his work has an appeal that extends beyond the masses who love his films in Uganda where he initially acquired fans by making his movies available on DVD and selling them to viewers too poor to be able to afford cinema prices. But, while this is evidence that he can deliver for those who relish his kind of movie, it is only fair to mention that they are not really to my own taste.
Despite that I found Once Upon a Time in Uganda an appealing film and, indeed, Nabwana being somebody who grew up in a country where the experience of violence was all too real is seen arguing that his kind of action films are a suitably exaggerated contrast to that. Furthermore, he stresses the extent to which he hopes that those viewing his films will burst into laughter. The extracts that we see here play into that: thus we find shots of exploding heads presented so as to invite us to admire the panache of the special effects involved regardless of the modest means behind the films. Whether or not Czubev's choice of extracts fully covers the flavour of the films I cannot say – we do learn of a gory-sounding scene planned for Nabwana’s cannibalistic movie Eaten Alive in Uganda but we don't see that footage. Either way he is a filmmaker who wants to make Ugandan movies which ignore poverty preferring instead to provide alternative narratives about his country. Nabwana obviously delights in being described as the George Lucas of Uganda – but it's up to the individual viewer as to whether or not it is just fun when one of his cast proudly declares "I feel good while kicking people. I've become a star".
But, even if there were times when I felt reservations over Nabwana's chosen field of work, the issues that make me question in part the success of Once Upon a Time in Uganda are of another kind altogether. The film is in fact a double portrait since it looks at the partnership that came about between Nabwana and an American, Alan Hofmanis, who, impressed by an online viewing of the film Who Killed Captain Alex?, travelled to Uganda, sought out its director and soon took on a key role as promoter and publicist for Nabwana’s movies and for his film company Ramon Productions. A close bond grew up, a friendship that even felt like a marriage, but at one stage the two fell into conflict: Nabwana opted to concentrate on establishing himself more fully in Uganda when he was asked to make a series for television there while Hofmanis felt that this impeded his plans to make Nabwana into an international name. In consequence there was a parting of the ways, but by the time of the Toronto Film Festival screening the two men were reconciled.
The first half of Czubev's film relishes both Nabwana and his work even to the extent of including some dramatised moments that adopt a tongue-in cheek tone akin to that found in Nabwana’s own movies. But, when the second half seeks to record the tensions that arose, the change of tone feels disconcerting. Earlier on Nabwana’s wife, Harriet, has come across rather well in more straightforward scenes but now the film does not really get to grips with the dispute between the two men (there is for example a reference to Hofmanis being without money because of using it on Nabwana’s behalf but we get no details). As presented, the film oddly starts in Kazakhstan and near its close returns to that scene. Such a framework is a perfect opportunity to set up at the outset opening comments indicative of the way that the ensuing narrative will go but Czubev fails to take advantage of that. The result is a film which seems to establish its character but then suddenly veers away from it in a different direction until it embraces a consciously upbeat conclusion. But it should not be forgotten that there is a lot here likely to give considerable pleasure and those who wholeheartedly embrace Nabwana and his movies will in all probability be only too happy to disregard my more critical remarks.
MANSEL STIMPSON
Featuring Isaac Nabwana, Alan Hofmanis, Harriet Nakasuja Nabwana, Kizza Manisuru Ssejjenba, Dauda Bisaso, Bukenya Charles, V.J. Emmie, Asimwe Apollo, Namutebi Rita, Kazibwe Ronald.
Dir Cathryne Czubev, Pro Cathryne Czubev, Gigi Dement, Kyali Gamba Ark Martin, Hugo Perez and Matt Porwoll, Written by Cathryne Czubev and Amanda Hughes, Ph Matt Porwoll, Ed Cathryne Czubev and Amanda Hughes, Music Andrew Hollander.
Wonderview Studios-Blue Finch Films Releasing.
94 mins. USA/Uganda. 2021. US Rel: 4 July 2023. UK Rel: 8 September 2023. Cert. 15.
