The Observer (Kampala)
Abu-Baker Mulumba
30 September 2009
While shooting her latest movie Hearts in Pieces Mariam Ndagire opted to use real spears but this almost brought the entire project to an end when Joel Okuyo accidentally speared Kato Lubwama in the leg and blood gushed like that from a slaughtered chicken.
This was one of the challenges that have made Ndagire stronger and inspired as a movie writer, director and producer with now three movies down and two in the offing. Ndagire who is slowly leaving stage plays to concentrate on the silver screen says she decided to change due to the fact she had done everything on stage from love to horror plays and there was need for a difference.
Her first attempt as a movie actress was in Roses in the Rain but she could not take a role as an extra and quit, but she gave it a second try with The Last King of Scotland where she was supposed to entertain President Idi Amin (Forest Whittaker) in a bar, but she could not make it because she was also slated for shows in Europe.
"The movie director offered to fly me to Europe and back on the advice of Richard Kaweesa who had convinced the director that I was the right person for that role, but I failed and Angela Kalule replaced me," Ndagire recalls.
Nonetheless it is the script of The Last King of Scotland that helped sharpen her screen writing skills in addition to books like How to Write a Selling Screen Play by Christopher Keane and The Film Director Prepares by Myrl A. Schreibman. Ndagire says that it has not been easy at all with government not taking the movie industry seriously.
"When you report to police about any copyright felony they ask you what that crime is, [so] they need sensitisation," she says. But she celebrates having her movie Strength of a Stranger on DSTV's Africa Magic Plus on September 22 and she says more are coming.
MAKING A MOVIE
When starting a movie the first step is to develop a conflict and plot so in all the three movies that Mariam has done she is inspired by the conflicts in society.In Hearts in Pieces she is inspired by the political wrangles in kingdoms created by the central government and people seeking self interests. The plot determines the duration of the movie making.
"My first movie Down This Road I Walk took me one year to be completed but the second (Strength of a Stranger) and third (Hearts in Pieces) took less because I was now used to writing scripts," says Ndagire.
The biggest problem is choosing a right cast and location. In Hearts in Pieces she chose West Hearts College - Kikandwa where the atmosphere was very conducive.
In most cases a writer is different from the director and producer but Mariam Ndagire does all three, because she claims she is not seeing someone who can write a script for her to direct.
"People like Kwezi Kaganda and Charles James Ssenkubuge are some of the best writers but they don't seem interested," she says.
MARKETING A MOVIE
This according to Ndagire is the most difficult part because, "Many Ugandans, government inclusive, have not yet started appreciating Ugandan movies. But when government scrapped taxed on cameras hopes of governments support and protection raised in our minds. And the corporate world needs to support us as they have done to musicians because our branding is there to leave the taste of life unlike in music," she pleads.
Ndagire will be unveiling her latest movie Hearts in Pieces this Independence Day at a red carpet premiere at National Theatre. The movie has a healthy cast of Abby Mukiibi, Laura Kahunde, Patricko Mujuuka, Kato Lubwama, Prynce Joel Okuyo and Herbert Nsubuga among others.
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