As the Ugandan film industry continues to grow, Ugandan filmmakers have been taught on how they can improve on their acting, scripting, directing and post-production skills so that they can produce films which can attract international audiences.
This was through an acting masterclass by Hollywood star Morocco Omari, a renowned actor, screenwriter, producer and director celebrated for his roles in Empire, Chicago Fire, Homeland among others.
The masterclass held at Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) house in Bugoloobi was organized by Sauti Plus Media Hub and Reach A Hand Uganda as part of the activities leading up to this year’s iKon awards to be held on March 29, 2025.
The masterclass provided participants with valuable insights into the art of acting to foster professional growth and increase employment opportunities for actors in the creative industry.
During the session, Omari emphasized the importance of dedication and creativity urging filmmakers to take bold steps in exploring their potential. He took the about 100 actors in attendance through acting skills such as body language, emotions, character development, how to handle acting with inexperienced actors and how to handle acting with actors you idolize, negotiating for payment among other skills.
“Hollywood right now doesn’t know about the Ugandan film industry even after having films like Queen of Katwe and The Last King of Scotland coming from here and in order to gain that international recognition, there is need to put out more great work which can be put on global streaming platforms like Netflix just like how Nigeria and South Africa are doing ,” he said.
He added that he is already working with some Ugandan actors, writers and directors to tell Ugandan stories and give them a platform to showcase their talent with projects expected to come out before end of this year.
Malaika Nnyanzi, one of the actors who attended the master- class, said these workshops are very important to them as actors as they help them to gain knowledge and get answers to questions regarding the profession from people with more experience in the film industry.
“We also get to interact with different actors and share knowledge; get to see how other actors are doing things and what they are thinking and this can help us to improve on our craft,” she said.
Meanwhile, Herman Namanya, a producer at Sauti Plus Media Hub, said that in partnership with UCC, they are looking at skilling Ugandan film-makers and giving them diverse skills in different fields of film like acting, production, script writing, post-production and so these masterclasses are to equip them with these skills as well as learn more from much experienced filmmakers.