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Outlook: Once upon a time in Wakaliwood

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Once upon a time in Wakaliwood

12/03/2020 GMT

BBC World Service - Outlook, Once upon a time in Wakaliwood

BBC Inspirations 2016 nominee Isaac Nabwana is known as 'Uganda's Tarantino'

BBC Inspirations 2016 nominee Isaac Nabwana makes action-packed films from his studio in Wakaliga, Kampala. He's known as 'Uganda's Tarantino'

The BBC Inspirations Awards 2020 celebrates the unsung heroes in your life. We’re asking you to nominate the people who deserve recognition for their courage, resilience and self-sacrifice. And all this week on Outlook we’re revisiting the stories of previous winners and nominees to help inspire your nominations. Today it’s the turn of 2016 Inspirations nominee Isaac Nabwana.
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Isaac is a Ugandan film-maker whose studio is in the neighbourhood of Wakaliga – or ‘Wakaliwood’ as it’s become known. What Isaac’s films lack in budget, they make up for in ambition: action adventures packed with martial arts, helicopter attacks and explosions. But Isaac hadn’t even seen a film before he started making his own – growing up, he relied on his cinema-going brother’s descriptions. In 2010, a trailer for Isaac’s film Who Killed Captain Alex? went viral worldwide. In New York City, a film-maker called Alan Hofmanis was watching – and he was so inspired that he decided to sell everything and move to Kampala to work with Isaac. He moved in with Isaac and became a Wakaliwood fixture. Emily Webb caught up with Isaac to find that he’s as prolific as ever – and has even premiered a film at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019 to a standing ovation.  And still living with Isaac – and making films with him – is his film-maker friend Alan.

El Capitan is a 3,000 foot piece of sheer vertical rock in Yosemite National Park in the United States. Last summer Selah Schneiter became the youngest person to scale it, when, at 10 years old, she completed the iconic route known as ‘The Nose’. Alongside Selah was her dad Mike, an experienced climber fell in love with Selah’s mum on that very rock.

Remember - to submit your nomination for the BBC Inspirations Awards 2020, visit: bbcworldservice.com/inspirations. Be sure to check out the terms and privacy notice. Nominations close at 12 GMT on 9 April, 2020.

Picture: Isaac Nabwana
Credit: Ramon Film Productions

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