A few words about your artistic journey

My career journey sparked off in 2018 when i won a one year fully paid film training scholarship with the Multichoice Talent factory. During the graduation, the academy awarded me with a paid internship trip to Nollywood in Nigeria.

How long have you been an artist ?

My desire to tell stories evidently exhibited 6 years ago when i was studying my Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology.

Why did you apply for this grant ? How will the grant support you ?

I intend to make a documentary film about Creatives under Quarantine, to understand how they are surviving during the Corona Virus lockdown in Uganda.

What are your concrete artistic objectives after this residency ?

To encourage the struggling film makers and to remind them that they are not forgotten and they are cared for ;
To reach out to the government and policy makers in Uganda and to urge them to consider giving relief to the creative sector which they have ignored for the longest time.

What did you achieve during this creative residency ? What is the result (created work) ? Who was involved in the creation process ?

I Produced a 1-hour documentary film about Creatives Under Quarantine in the Uganda Filming Industry. My creative process involved making prior calls to the creatives asking to visit them at their homes and have a chat with them. Once they agreed to the meet up, we visited their homes and have an interview with them. Among the people that we visited are Screen Writers, Producers, Directors, Make-up Artists, VJs, Cinematographers, Actors, Photographers, Editors, theatricians and some friends who knew Faizol Semambo.

How do you think these activities contribute to a reflection on today’s world, in relation to the COVID-19 crisis, and/or on the shaping of the future ?

The Uganda filming industry has always had a challenge with documentation of the creatives and their works and I believe that 50 years from now, when the industry is in a better place, these videos will be a reflection of the past and a guidance to the future. They will guide the new generation to know what happened to the creatives during the Covid19 crisis. Reaching out to creatives opened and warmed their hearts. We re-awakened their spirits to love, care and check on one another and be their brother’s keeper. Many people will be inspired by the things creatives did in response to the Covid19 crisis.

How did you feel during the residency ? And at the end of it ?

As I started Production, this Documentary was as a platform to check on Creatives and find out how they are doing and surviving in the Covid19 lockdown. As I wrapped up Production, I realized this Production is an amazing opportunity to document creatives in Uganda and follow up on what they are doing and strengthen them in times of crises. The industry needs to capture the stories of the many creatives. I realized that their stories have never been shared or told.