The first Nile Diaspora International Film Festival (NDIFF) is finally here!

The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), which is tasked with the film industry in Uganda, is co-sponsoring the event which kicked off at the state-of-the-art conference centre.

The festival, which started on December 7, attracted film makers, producers, directors, actors and actresses from across the film industry in Uganda, Africa and the rest of the world.

During this 9-day event that will end on December 15, participants and theatre-goers will rub shoulders with such celebrities as Tonya Lee Williams (Hollywood), Jim Iyke (Nigeria) and Madia Buari (Ghana), among others.

"This is a welcome effort. It will supplement our endeavour to streamline the film industry. We have just drafted the licensing framework for distribution and exhibition of films in Uganda," said Godfrey Mutabazi, the Uganda Communications Commission executive director.

Globally, the film industry generates billions of US dollars annually as well as millions of jobs.

It is estimated that the entertainment industry globally generated over US$600b in 2010. Apart from its revenue potential, the film industry offers a strong basis of youth employment, providing one of the strongest grounds of economic growth indicators. In Nigeria, film has overtaken oil as the leading economic driver.