ANDREW KAGGWA
It was unfairly overlooked on the local scene last year, but Ugandan film Bala Bala Sese is certainly beginning to get the attention it deserves.
Directed by Bashir Lukyamuzi, the feature film on Wednesday got the honour of opening the tenth edition of the Amakula International Film Festival in Kampala.
Bashir Lukyamuzi (R) talks to Hollywood-based Ugandan actor Ntare Mwine
Moviegoers who turned up at the Uganda Museum were left in awe of the local film’s simplicity and quality, citing it as a god example of how Ugandan filmmakers can use the little resources they have to produce relevant works.
The drama film set on Sese Islands tells the story of Margaret (Natasha Sinayobye) and her sweet love John (Michael Kasaija) as the couple tries to forge a way forward amid resistance from her father, who’s hell-bent on marrying her off to someone else.
It boasts a good picture – the cinematography was on point and the camera movements were well calculated, for instance every time they had to pan, it was appropriately done and at the right time – something that many African filmmakers get wrong.
A scene from ‘Bala Bala Sese’
The film is crisply put together by writer Usama Mukwaya with a couple of punchlines, funny quotes and serious banters that help us go through the story with ease.
The Luganda language picture is about John and Margaret’s love for the biggest part.
However, when her father Kasirivu (Raymond Rushabiro) loses village tycoon Zeus’s (Jabal Ddungu) goods worth millions, the two men decide to settle the matter like gentlemen. Zues offers Kasirivu some cows in exchange for Margret’s hand in marriage.
Another major twist to the story is the introduction of the theme of AIDS, which is both treated with respect and expertise – in fact, Aids or HIV was never mentioned anywhere in the film.
Actor Raymond Rushabiro looking impressive in one of the film’s scenes
Problem was that the story wasn’t really falling into place wholly, it seemed like some key events in the story just went missing or were simply overlooked by the producers. For instance, we expected to see John, the guy Margaret wants to marry, fight for her love against Zeus, the guy her father wants her to marry.
It was also hard knowing which exact story was driving all the other sub stories – was it the greedy father, the naïve daughter or the one struggling with a disease?
It’s quite a mix-up which leaves one wondering whether the director intended to discuss all the topics at hand.
But even when we lost ourselves for some parts, the film somehow manages to redeem itself with interesting dialogue and performances.
Sinayobye was particularly splendid as the naïve village belle, but perhaps Rushabiro was the most convincing when it came to staying in character all through.
“I tried to do something that would make Ugandans differentiate Raymond from Kasirivu and the result was the character,” Rushabiro says.
Even with some shortcomings, Bala Bala Sese could easily become one of the best deliveries from Uganda; we connected with the characters more than we have with any in many other local films.
The story could have been all over the place but we saw ourselves, dreams and aspirations in some of the characters, and at times that’s all a filmmaker needs to get an audience.
Despite the good reception, however, director Lukyamuzi remains humble about his film saying he hopes to do better with his next project.
