17 Sept 2026 | The Art of Ugandan live dubbing – VJ Emmy dubs EATEN ALIVE IN UGANDA
POOR IMAGES
One of the world’s most exciting low- and no-budget film scenes has been thriving for many years in Wakaliga, a slum in Uganda’s capital Kampala. Wakaliga is the name of the film studio, also known as Ramon Film Productions or, with a wink: “Wakaliwood”. There, lively action films are produced, sparing no sensationalisms or implausibilities, and which in their maximalism aim to rival not only Hollywood but also role models from Hong Kong and India. An excessive mix of references to Western popular culture and influences from their own culture. Kung fu fights, bazooka shoot-outs, never ending explosions set off with the simplest of means, and seemingly antiquated blue-screen CGI. Stories of gang crime and corruption, Shakespearean romances, and heroism on an epic scale. A DIY cinema of “poor images”, which even beyond the world of cinema, is a phenomenon in film culture: the cast is often made up of family members, friends and neighbours. It is a radically participatory form of filmmaking: the team decides together on tasks and the allocation of roles. The screening of the films would also be unthinkable without the community itself: usually, they take place in so-called “kibandas” – self-organised, communal spaces where the films are not merely projected onto a wall, but are also accompanied by a live commentator, known as a “video joker” (VJ). This commentator narrates the action, sometimes even acting as an animator. A unique cinematic performance!
EATEN ALIVE IN UGANDA
UG 2026, D: Nabwana I.G.G., A: Alan Hofmanis Ssali, Isaac Newton Kizito, Mwebaza Faridah, 55′, OV with live commentary, File
FORGET THE DIRECTOR, THIS IS EMMY’S CUT!
Director Nabwana I.G.G. is one of the central figures of Wakaliga – we are presenting the studio’s latest production, EATEN ALIVE IN UGANDA, accompanied live by VJ Emmy, one of the most prominent VJs – and, according to the local community, the one with the best sense of humour – who is travelling from Kampala to attend the festival. In the film, an American soldier travels to a remote Ugandan village in the Rakai district to search for his brother, who has been missing for three years. There, he recruits soldiers to assist him on his mission, then encounters a somewhat strange scientist in the hinterland and a cannibalistic voodoo sect called “The Dancers”, consisting partly of zombies and partly of children who have acquired a taste for it. Trapped in this nightmare, an action-packed race against a horde of the undead begins. Will he manage to find his brother before he and his helpers are devoured?
UG/DE 2026, D: Marion Desmaret, 11′, OV with English subtitles, DCP
To begin the evening, we are screening FORGET THE DIRECTOR, THIS IS EMMY’S CUT! by Marion Desmaret in her presence. As the title suggests, her short, experimental documentary centres on Emmy Batte, alias VJ Emmy, whom we see at work. In makeshift cinemas, he provides live dubbing, translates dialogue into local languages (primarily Luganda) and adds comments to the film narratives that range from humorous to socially critical. As a VJ as in this film, he reclaims the narrative and rewrites the script – a film brimming with cheerful disrespect.
| Thu 17 September 2026 | UT Connewitz |
| 9 PM | German Premiere In presence of Marion Desmaret € 10 (9 reduced) |
