By Guest Writer
The local cinematic landscape has officially come alive as nationwide film screenings for the 13th edition of the Uganda Film Festival (UFF) resume across the country this week. Organised by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) in partnership with MultiChoice Uganda, the screenings offer film enthusiasts, storytellers and the general public an immersive experience to enjoy premium, authentic homegrown talent on the big screen.
The screenings feature films nominated in the Viewers’ Choice category, a special award determined entirely through public voting to recognize the productions that resonated most with the audience ahead of the Awards Gala on August 28th, 2026. The gala will recognize outstanding achievements in Ugandan filmmaking and celebrate the continued growth of the country’s film industry.
This week, cinema lovers can catch over 50 Ugandan films on local stories running across major cinemas, including; Century Cinemax (Acacia Mall, Arena Mall and Metroplex Mall, Naalya), EMT Cinema and NuMax Cinema in Entebbe. Films showing include: Adui, You May Kiss the Bride Goodbye, Longing to Belong, Waka Waka and Maama Wange, among others.
Alongside the film showcases, the festival is simultaneously hosting an extensive three-day, Screenwriting Masterclass designed to build capacity within the local industry at the Uganda Institute of Information and Communication Technology (UICT) in Nakawa. These training forums facilitated by trainers from the Screen Writers Guild Uganda will focus on technical skilling, distribution networks, and the commercialization of local audio-visual content.
The competitive edge of this year’s festival was sharpened early on. In March, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) in partnership with MultiChoice Uganda, conducted nationwide regional film competitions and capacity-building workshops across Soroti (Eastern), Luwero (Central), Arua (Northern) and Hoima (Western). These outreaches were instrumental in unearthing raw talent, rewarding regional winners, and ensuring diverse cultural voices are strongly represented in this year’s final selection.
Commenting on the roll-out of the screenings and workshops, Hassan Saleh, the CEO, MultiChoice Uganda, expressed the brand’s vision in supporting local creators. He said, “We are incredibly proud to facilitate these screenings and bring the very best of Ugandan cinema directly to our communities on the big screen. Ugandan filmmakers are telling stories that audiences genuinely connect with, and these screenings give the public a chance to experience that work live in the cinemas.”
“This festival is a celebration of Ugandan identity, a tool for industry skilling through our workshops, and a critical stepping stone toward global visibility for our storytellers. We invite all Ugandans to flood the cinemas this week and support our local creators,” he added.
Echoing these sentiments, Nyombi Thembo, Executive Director UCC stated, “The Uganda Film Festival remains our premier vehicle for driving growth, professional excellence and regulatory support in the audio-visual sector. Through our strategic partnership with MultiChoice Uganda, the regional competitions held in March and April helped identify and develop filmmaking talent across the country, while the current cinema screenings are giving these stories a wider platform and contributing to the growth of a sustainable, nationwide creative economy. The ongoing masterclasses are equipping our filmmakers with the technical and commercial tools required to scale globally and we look forward to honoring their growth at the Awards Gala.”
Members of the public and film lovers are encouraged to visit participating cinemas to enjoy the award-nominated films running from 21st to 28th August 2026 and cast their votes for the Viewer’s Choice Award.
About MultiChoice Group: MultiChoice Group (MCG), listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and a subsidiary of Groupe CANAL+, is a leading provider of entertainment and related consumer services. The company has an expanding ecosystem, underpinned by scalable technologies, and a track record now spanning almost 40 years. MCG provides video entertainment products and services through its linear and streaming platforms to millions of households across 50 countries on the African continent and continues to grow by producing and acquiring the best local, sport and international content and offering tiered subscription packages and aggregated streaming services to its customer base.
MCG’s superior technology capabilities enable it to continue innovating around distribution, digital and payment solutions, and content security to offer the best customer experience across the continent. Reaching up to 100 million individuals daily, the MultiChoice Group is using its scale and distribution to expand its platform to include sports betting and interactive entertainment, fin-tech services, household services (focused on internet connectivity and emergency response services) and ed-tech. Irdeto, MCG’s technology business, provides platform cybersecurity services which protect over 6 billion devices and applications globally for some of the world’s best media and technology brands, as well as clients in the connected industries sector. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
