SIMPSON M
The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has renewed its commitment to boosting local content creation and expanding film production across all regions of Uganda.
While speaking at New Palm Royal in Rukungiri on 18th November 2025 during a one-day workshop for regional filmmakers, Madam Ruth Kanyaana Bakiira Kibuuka, the Manager for Content Development at UCC, said the Commission launched the regional film competition to uplift filmmakers outside major cities, who for long have missed out on opportunities enjoyed by their Kampala counterparts.
She noted that UCC is intensifying efforts to grow Uganda’s film sector through training programmes, funding opportunities, and facilitating international exposure for emerging talent. Madam Ruth described the Rukungiri engagement as a major milestone in strengthening the creative industry and encouraged filmmakers and youth to embrace the available opportunities for skills development, visibility, and long-term career growth.
She acknowledged that past initiatives tended to favor Kampala-based filmmakers, prompting UCC and its partners to push support to regional and grassroots creators.
Meanwhile, actors participating in the workshop, including Annet Owomugisha and Siriri Babyabawe, Director of Kigezi Universal Actors, said that despite spending over 20 years in the industry, they continue to face major challenges. These include limited funding, piracy through duplication of their work, lack of equipment, and limited technical knowledge—barriers that have forced many to take loans just to stay afloat.
They emphasized that passion is the only reason they have remained committed to the craft, given the low market for local films in Uganda. The actors appealed to UCC to strengthen measures that protect their work from piracy and to extend more support in training, funding, and marketing their productions.
The workshop was part of UCC’s ongoing efforts to decentralize support and empower regional filmmakers to thrive in the competitive creative industry.
