The 9th edition of the Uganda Film Festival was nothing if not eventful. The film actors and actresses on Friday came together to celebrate their achievements by crowning the best performers of 2022. 

The Uganda Film Festival is organized by Uganda Communications Commission in partnership with numerous players in the media and telecom industry including MTN Uganda.  Dashing in African wear which was the dress code of the evening, MTN Uganda Chief Executive Officer, Wim Vanhelleputte appreciated the milestones achieved by the film actors and actresses in the growth of Uganda’s film industry.

“I was there in 1998 when we had few Television and radio stations and we used to listen to Congolese music so today I feel very proud that Uganda’s entertainment industry has grown. I want to congratulate all of you for this amazing achievement. We should be all be proud of you,” Vanhelleputte said to the film industry players in Uganda.

Vanhelleputte made the remarks while handing over the viewer’s choice award to the actors and production team of the Wave Film who were voted the best in that category by the public.

This year, the festival was held under the theme: “Creative Industry as a Solution to Unemployment.”

According to Irene Kaggwa Sewankambo, the executive director UCC, this year’s theme was selected to create awareness about the opportunities that the creative industry generates. 

“We do acknowledge that the creative industry encompasses a number of areas such as the arts, media ie film,TV, radio, music, advertising, architectural design, software development and digital media design. These can foster income generation, job creation and export earnings while promoting social inclusion, cultural diversity and human development,” she noted.

For a while, MTN has supported the Uganda Film Festival organized by UCC with the vision of empowering and providing opportunities for the youth and harnessing the potential of creatives in spurring Uganda’s development.

In 2020, MTN launched Kibanda Xpress, in partnership with YOTV to provide a platform for Ugandan movies with the aim of commercializing and preserving the quality of local content.

Through Kibanda Xpress, MTN also sought to cultivate the spirit of nationalism, love and consumption of local content by the public.

Since its inception, multiple players in the film industry have earned revenue from the various movies marketed on the platform.