Uganda’s First All-Female Made Film Wins Africa Focus Award In London

Ugandan movie, “Bed of Thorns (#Tosirika)”, has won the “Africa Focus Award” at the just concluded London Art House Film Festival.

The film was first released in March to support the month celebrating women, but it is also intended to enact change. #Tosirika, a hashtag that follows the film’s title, means ‘don’t keep quiet’ in Luganda.

Directed and produced by Eleanor Nabwiso, the film tackles the subject of gender-based violence.

It weaves together the many tales of abuse within a circle of women as they prepare for their friend’s wedding – unknown to them that she is also being abused by her soon-to-be-husband.

Speaking with BBC, Nabwiso said; “This is the first ever all-female made movie from Uganda. That means the director of photography, the producer, the sound engineer—everyone is female.”

The filmmaker reportedly plans to make more films around gender-based violence and the many forms it comes in such as cyber-bullying and emotional torture.

She wants to show the detail and consequences this type of violence has on society, on the psyche and on women.

Nabwiso says that the idea of the movie is to break the unhealthy silence; “We call these ‘bedroom matters’ – keep it in your bedroom, talk about it in your bedroom.”

“It’s about time we stopped this nonsense. If he’s beating you in your bedroom and you come out of that door, you must smile to the world. This is wrong. Come out, speak out, tell somebody about it,” she said.

See trailer below:

By: The Arubayi Keme