Oscars pre-selected movie ‘Tembele’ to screen for seven days in Uganda

Movie Tembele, which was selected on September 10, 2022 by the Uganda Academy Selection Committee (UASC) to represent Uganda in the Oscars 2023, is tipped to screen for seven days at Cinemax Century at Acacia Mall and Arena Mall in Kampala.

The movie will screen from today, September 16, to September 22 at 3:00pm and 8:00pm.

The Oscars are the oldest and most prestigious awards in the world held in the US every year since 1929.

How Tembele was selected

On August 10, 2022, UASC invited filmmakers to submit their qualifying feature films for consideration for the Best International Feature Film award at the forthcoming 95th edition of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards, known as the Academy Awards or simply the Oscars.

Tembele was selected from three movies that were submitted.

“The submission call closed on Wednesday, August 31, 2022, after receiving three film submissions; Nalwawo directed by Eric Emokor; November Tear directed by Richard Nondo, and Tembele directed by Morris Herbert Mugisha. After an intense judging process and evaluation, the UASC has pre-selected Tembele by director Morris Herbert Mugisha as Uganda’s official entry for the 2023 Oscar awards in the category of Best International Film,” Godfrey Musinguzi, the chairman of the committee, wrote in a press release.

Tembele’s pre-selection is only provisional, pending the film’s fulfillment of all Academy eligibility criteria ahead of the October 03, 2022 Oscar submission deadline for all country entries.

Having ticked all the eligibility boxes, Tembele must screen for seven consecutive days in the cinema to be submitted to the Oscars.

‘Tembele’ storyline

Tembele is a mental health-themed film that delves into the very soul of a man working on a garbage truck in the city as he battles with a mental setback after losing a son. It highlights mental and maternal health. Tembele is a thin line between reality and make belief.

The movie features Uganda’s award-winning actor Patriq Nkakalukanyi as Tembele, the lead, as well as Ronah Soledad Ninsiima, and Cosmas Serubogo in supporting roles.

The movie centres around Tembele, a garbage collector, who works on a truck 12 hours a day in the chaotic Kampala city.

Tembele and his wife (Ronah Ninsiima) are expecting their first child together.

Little does Tembele know that the child is to die soon after birth.

The shock of the loss leaves Tembele mentally disturbed. He is in denial over the death. He still believes that his son is alive.

The next day, while other people are mourning, he goes to work happily.

When he returns home, he finds the baby’s bed smashed beyond repair.

Tembele wages a verbal battle with his friends, claiming that they do not love his newborn son. He is awakened from this state when his friends fight hard to bring him back to reality.

Well, that’s the part that changes everything in the movie and gives it another build-up.

Awards and nominations

In June 2022, Tembele received 11 nominations and won three awards at the country’s top-tier festival; the Uganda Film Festival Awards. It won Best Supporting Role in Feature Film, Best Actor in Feature Film, and Best Feature Film of the year.

Screenings and premiere

Tembele premiered on August 7, 2022, at Goethe-Zentrum in Kamwokya, Kampala. It also made several screenings at Century Cinemax, Acacia Mall, Naalya, and Entebbe.

The director

Tembele was produced and directed by Morris Mugisha, an award-winning filmmaker whose films have won several awards in Uganda and Africa.

His first movie, Stain, got 13 nominations and six awards at the Uganda film festival in 2021, including the biggest award – Best Feature Film. It also won the Award for Best Female Performance (Actress) in Feature Film, at the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) in Lagos, Nigeria, and received a special recognition from the Luxor Film festival in Egypt.  

With such achievements, Mugisha has become a widely spoken name in the Ugandan film industry.

What people say about Tembele’s selection

Tembele’s selection has been widely spoken of by filmgoers in Uganda. While some think Uganda has rushed for the prestigious Oscars awards, several filmmakers think it is the right time for Uganda to penetrate the global film market and the Oscars could be a step towards this.

Most of them have hailed the movie for its great cinematography and artistic touch.

“There is never a right time, but there will always be a first time, so this is absolutely the moment we should make that step. We need to set a precedent in Ugandan film. It is definitely going to be a learning curve for all filmmakers in Uganda and we should embrace it. It is always good for you to step on that high stage and evaluate yourself and Tembele will definitely give the Ugandan film industry the chance to know where we stand,” said Dialo Sekidde, a film lecturer at Kampala Film School.

Andrew Elvis Mutebi, the president of Uganda Film Producers’ Association (UFPA), stated: “UFPA is rallying behind the producer of Tembele to make sure he has a great theatrical release for the title. This is one of the pre-conditions for the selection. The nomination at the Oscars will market our young but vibrate film sector and Uganda at large. It is the right film because it can probably resonate with a global audience. Some stories cut across and I hope this one does. In a competition, different dynamics come into play; after Tembele is nominated, then the question will shift to whether it will win. Ugandan cinema has come a long way and having Tembele be considered for the Oscars makes the pain, sweet. Tembele, at this stage, is not only the producer’s film; it’s a representation of all of us as a nation and a representation of Ugandan Cinema.”

Kennedy Kihire, a film director, noted: “From its performance at the Uganda Film Festival, it was praised to be a great piece of work. To be at the Oscars, means you have ticked all the above boxes, including authenticity which Tembele does I believe.”

Nisha Kalema, a producer, director, and actress, stated: .”I personally believe the movie is good. I think we are in safe hands if Tembele represents us, our culture, and our language. It also has a universal story. It doesn’t matter where you are, it still speaks to you.”