Nabwana I.G.G.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nabwana I.G.G.
Born
Isaac Godfrey Geoffrey Nabwana

(1973-11-06) 6 November 1973 (age 48)
, Kampala, Uganda
NationalityUgandan
OccupationDirector, producer, writer, cinematographer, actor
Years active2005–present
Spouse(s)Harriet Nabwana
Children3

Isaac Godfrey Geoffrey Nabwana, popularly known as Nabwana I.G.G., is a Ugandan filmmaker and film producer.[1][2] The founder of the film studio Wakaliwood, Nabwana is best known for the gratuitous violence in his films.[3] Nabwana started to gain fame after uploading a trailer for his film Who Killed Captain Alex? on YouTube in 2010 and later the actual film in 2015. The film gained a cult status and now sits at 6.4 million views on YouTube.

Personal life[]

Nabwana was born in Uganda during the regime of Idi Amin in 1973. During the Ugandan Bush War, he and his brother were reportedly chased by an attack helicopter. This helicopter can be seen in Who Killed Captain Alex?.

Career[]

As he had never been in a theatre, he relied mostly on his brothers and friends' descriptions of films that were just released theatrically. He went for a course in computer repair, but was forced to drop out after the first month due to lack of funds. Therefore, he started to learn filmmaking and its aspects in a self learning methods with his own trial-and-error experiences with cameras and editing equipment. At the age of 32, he began filmmaking as a profession. In 2005, Nabwana founded Ramon Film Productions: the name derived from his grandmothers, Rachel and Monica, which is later known as Wakaliwood.[4][5][6]

His film production is based in his home where he began to produce and shoot music videos since 2009. Ramon Production has involved over 44 feature films. Some of the popular films produced by Ramon Productions are Who Killed Captain Alex?, Bad Black, and Tebaatusasula.[7][8] The film Who Killed Captain Alex is known as the first action-packed film in Ugandan cinema.[9]

After releasing Who Killed Captain Alex? in 2010, It quickly became internationally recognized and popular. The movie attracted super fans from around the world. One super fan, Alan Hofmanis, came to Uganda after seeing the movie and is now an executive producer and actor at Wakaliwood. With over 6 million views on YouTube, It is Nabwana's most popular film and it turned him into a celebrity to some.

When Alan Hofmanis, a film festival director based in New York City, traveled to Uganda, he met Nabwana and asked for producing a documentary on Ramon Film Productions, Hofmanis has since moved to Uganda to help promote Wakaliwood cinema worldwide. He was also given a starring role in Nabwana's 2016 film Bad Black and has been called "the first Mzungu Ugandan action movie star."[10]

Nabwana has won 6 awards from various film festivals according to IMDb.

Filmaking style and themes[]

Nabwana shoots his films in Luganda, the dialect of the Baganda, Uganda's largest tribe. Nabwana is known for his action and violence mixed in with comedy in his films. He takes the action in his films to new extremes which mainly consists of gun fighting to Kung-fu and martial arts. Nabwana also has a creation of his own called the 'Video Joker' (or VJ for short) to do commentary over the movie in which he says jokes and shouts random words. These traits have appeared in all of Nabwana's films.

Filmography[]

Year Film Role Genre Ref. Notes
2008 Ekisa Butwa Director, producer, writer, cinematographer Film First film
2010 Valentine: Satanic Day Director, producer, writer, cinematographer Film
2010 Tebaatusasula Director, producer, writer, cinematographer Film
2010 Who Killed Captain Alex? Director, producer, writer, cinematographer Film [11][12][13][14] Breakthrough film
2011 The Return of Uncle Benon Director, producer, writer, cinematographer Film
2011 Rescue Team Director, producer, writer, cinematographer Film
2012 Bukunja Tekunja Mitti: The Cannibals Director, producer, writer, cinematographer Film
2012 Black Director, producer, writer, cinematographer Film
2014 Crazy World Director, producer, actor, writer, cinematographer Film First acting role
2015 The Revenge Director, producer, writer, cinematographer Film
2016 The Ivory Trap: Akanawuusu Director, producer, writer, cinematographer Film
2016 Once a Soja: Agubiri the Gateman Director, producer, writer, cinematographer Film
2016 Million Dollar Kid Director, producer, writer, cinematographer Film
2016 Kapitano Director, producer, writer, cinematographer Film
2016 Attack on Nyege Nyege Island Director, producer, writer, cinematographer Short film [15]
2016 Bad Black Director, producer, writer, cinematographer Film [16][17]
2020 Heaven Shall Burn Director, producer, writer, cinematographer Film
2021 Once Upon a Time in Uganda Actor Documentary
TBD Operation Kakongoliro! The Ugandan Expendables Director, producer, writer, cinematographer Film
TBD Eaten Alive in Uganda Director, producer, writer, cinematographer Film
TBD Ebola Hunter Director, producer, writer, cinematographer Film

References[]

  1. ^ "Nabwana I.G.G - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Wakaliwood: The cinematic dream of a Uganda slum". Aljazeera. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  3. ^ "How one LIer became Ugandan filmmaker's passionate advocate". newsday. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  4. ^ "The New Wave of Ultra-Violent Ugandan DIY Action Cinema - VICE". Vice. 29 April 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  5. ^ McPheeters, Sam (3 March 2015). "A Ugandan Filmmaker's Quest to Conquer the Planet with Low-Budget Action Movies - VICE". Vice. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  6. ^ "Nabwana I.G.G - Biography". IMDb. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  7. ^ "Uganda's Slum Tarantino". BBC. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  8. ^ Schiraro, Stefano (8 March 2018). "Wakaliwood: The cinematic dream of a Ugandan slum". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  9. ^ Noy, Frédéric (13 July 2018). "Inside Wakaliwood: Kampala's action movie studio". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  10. ^ "Wakaliwood: The Documentary (2012)". IMDb.
  11. ^ "WHO KILLED CAPTAIN ALEX?". mkefilm. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  12. ^ "Who Killed Captain Alex? YouTube trailer". YouTube. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  13. ^ "Who Killed Captain Alex?". YouTube. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  14. ^ "Who Killed Captain Alex? Director's Commentary". YouTube. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  15. ^ "Attack on Nyege Nyege Island". YouTube. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  16. ^ "Bad Black". YouTube. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  17. ^ "Bad Black Director's Commentary". YouTube. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
Retrieved from ""