Imani

Sweden, Uganda

2010

78 Min

Color

1.78:1

English, Swahili

Currently 5.0/5 Stars.
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CAST Rehema Nanfuka, Stephen Ocen, Philip Buyi

London (World Cinema), Berlinale (Forum), Ghent (World Cinema)

Synopsis

This assured first feature from one of East Africa’s most talented women filmmakers deals with three parallel stories in the course of a single day in Kampala and its environs. The beautifully crafted drama takes us into the lives of three characters: a former child soldier, a maid and a hip hop dancer. Mary (Rehema Nanfuka) is an independent young woman who returns from a village to a wealthy suburb in the Ugandan capital, where she works as a maid for a rich couple, while also having to take responsibility for her sister, who is in an abusive relationship. Olweny (Stephen Ocen) is a traumatised 12-year-old, returning home from a rehabilitation centre where he had been recovering after four years soldiering in the bush. Armstrong (Philip Buyi) is a talented dancer and DJ with a turbulent past, who plans to return with his group to the city slums to stage free dance performances, but is confronted by the dodgy characters of those he had left behind. The wide panoramas of the diverse settings and the complexities of all the characters are simply conveyed, while a soundtrack blend of both contemporary and traditional music maximises the film’s charm. –BFI

Director

Caroline Kamya

Born in 1974 in Kampala (Uganda).

Award winning Ugandan Filmmaker Caroline Kamya completed degrees in England in Architecture at the prestigious Bartlett (UCL) and an MA in TV Documentary at Goldsmith College. While at university Carol also worked on productions first as a runner then as a 3rd, 2nd and 1st AD. In 1999 she set up her own production company, iVAD in London. She continued to work in TV for several years. She worked at BBC London after attaining professional BBC TV training in 2003. In 2004 she set up a company office in Kampala, Uganda. iVAD International is now the leading production house in Uganda.

In 2006 Carol attended the Masiha Film Lab programme in Uganda (founded by Mira Nair) and completed her first three short films. In 2007 she attended the Berlinale Talent Campus, returning to Uganda with a renewed commitment to be back in Berlin with a feature film. Her award winning series entitled "The AfriCANs’ has become a global hit racking up numerous… read more