Afri Plus Films

© Patrick Sekyaya
Genre : Film studio, Production
Status : Private company
Principal country concerned : Column : Cinema/tv
Kampala
Uganda

In 2008 yet another completely different sort of filmmaker who was also determined to make feature films established his own company. Patrick Sekyaya is a more completely local product, which perhaps makes his work more exceptional in spite of the rough edges around his products. Sekyaya has to be cited as the most prolific local filmmaker who has had the personal wherewithal to maintain an ambitious production schedule. Compared to the general level of Kampala productions, his features are immediately outstanding for their scripts and strong visuals. This has allowed his films to be shown internationally in a few film festivals although they do not bare too much comparison with international cinema in the way that, say, Carol Kamya's Imani does. But his concentration on local myths and folk lore and his drive to play with genre conventions coupled with his energetic rough and ready style do immediately make his work appealing.

His first prominent feature to screen was in fact a horror film which has never been a very popular genre in Uganda precisely because Ugandans by and large find the genre too upsetting. Ugandans are more likely to take the events depicted in a horror film to heart and of course we know that Uganda has had its share of real life horrors. Sekyaya was clearly trying to buck a trend while provoking his local audience. This is significant to note since it is precisely this that has seemed to slow local acceptance of his work. When he ambitiously attempted to create a local film festival of all of his works to date, the audience attendance was so disastrous it underlined a certain disconnection in the local field. Nevertheless, Sekyaya has been undeterred in his production schedule while the standards of his productions come up and he continues to secure connections with international festivals and cable stations such as MNet for whom his work his ideal. 

Partners

  • Arterial network
  • Media, Sports and Entertainment Group (MSE)
  • Gens de la Caraïbe
  • Groupe 30 Afrique
  • Alliance Française VANUATU
  • PACIFIC ARTS ALLIANCE
  • FURTHER ARTS
  • Zimbabwe : Culture Fund Of Zimbabwe Trust
  • RDC : Groupe TACCEMS
  • Rwanda : Positive Production
  • Togo : Kadam Kadam
  • Niger : ONG Culture Art Humanité
  • Collectif 2004 Images
  • Africultures Burkina-Faso
  • Bénincultures / Editions Plurielles
  • Africiné
  • Afrilivres

With the support of