Comedian Daniel Omara, TV personality Deedan Muyira and actress Rehema Nanfuka are among a host of Ugandan stars to look out for when the new Belgium-France-Uganda co-production film Papi premieres tomorrow.
The multicultural thriller about sex and revenge is set to make its Ugandan debut at Theatre Labonita in Kampala tomorrow, Feb 15, following a successful run in Belgium.
Speaking exclusively to this website yesterday, the film’s Belgian writer and director Kjell Clarysse praised the predominantly Ugandan cast’s performance and said he was happy to bring the film back to Uganda where it was shot on location back in 2015.
“We had such a fantastic time filming in Uganda with the local cast and crew, and I hope the audiences here appreciate the film as much as the ones back in Europe did,” Clarysse said, revealing that the film enjoyed rave reviews when it first debuted in Brussels in May last year.
The 31-year-old documentarian and photographer is currently in the country ahead of the big day for his debut feature film which he hopes will open up doors for more European film projects in Uganda.
The $15,000 (about Shs 54.5m) budget film was funded through an elaborate crowd-funding campaign that saw money raised through online contributions and other forms of fundraisers in Belgium and France.
The multilingual thriller revolves around its titular character Papi, a Congolese dandy who finds work as a boda-boda rider in Kampala.
Papi’s life however is changed irreversibly when he crosses paths with a vengeful local woman and a sleazy Belgian expat, triggering a series of damning events that will leave the viewer with a chill.
Belgian-based Congolese actor Papy Tshifuaka’s back story as a member of the world-famous Sepeurs fashion subculture apparently informed a great deal of his titular role in the film as the actor can be seen decked out in expensive suits while ferrying passengers on his motorcycle in several photos taken on set.
Ugandan audiences will however be mostly interested in the performance of their very own local stars led by the likes of Omara and Nanfuka who both play significant roles in the film. Popular actors Felix Bwanika and Wilberforce Mutete also make an appearance in the film.
Entrance to tomorrow’s premiere costs Shs 20,000, and gates open at 7Pm.
Here are some of the shoots from the movie-making:
