If an opportunity meets an idea, the result is success.
And that is what happened last month on Saturday Sept 25 when the UCU Film Club held it’s ever first Zuka Students Film Festival at Nkoyoyo hall.
The event was ideally an outlet for students aspiring to be film makers, said Eddie Oketcho the festival director.

“A gathering of this nature provides an opportunity for young aspirants to share their passion with peers as well as experienced filmmakers with the hope of being inspired and motivated to improve our selves” adds Oketcho.
Organised on the theme, “Stories of Our Tomorrow,” the festival attracted celebrated film personalities around Kampala like Andreas Frowein Head of Filming Department Kampala University, Winnie Gamisha Director of the acclaimed film, “The Painter”, David Kayongo a film editor and Ken Barongo of the Amakula Cultural Foundation.
Also in attendance were students from Kabojja International School, Namilyango College, and Namagunga girls.
Speaking at a panel of film experts, Andreas Frowein said it doesn’t matter who you are or what you do. But for one to aspire to be a great filmmaker, it all begins with the love and passion for film.
“It’s about knowing where you want to get, you can start small in the world of film making and end big” said Ken Barongo another member on the panel.
Barongo adds that the film making industry in Uganda has reached fever pitch and this should be awake up call of action among the youth to get up, get organized and be involved in determining their future through film making.
Over fifteen films majority of which are Ugandan acted like “The Painter” directed by Winnie Gamisha, “Down Cast” by Judith Lucy Adong and Fredrick Kigozi’s “Rough Boy” among others were screened on same day.
The students’ acted films that featured in the final award of Zuka Audience Favorite Films were UCU’s “Portrait of Steven Noll” directed by Patrick Seruyange and Eddie Oketcho’s “Webcam”. Others in the same category were Kampala University’s “Smoking for Money” by Molly Nakamya, “Envelope of Communication” by Kitsha Kyasi Joseph and Dennis Onen’s “My City on Fire” among others.

It emerged that Kampala University students’ directed films topped the viewer’s favorite three films, sweeping the only three Zuka awards.

Kitsha Kyasi Joseph’s Envelope of Communication topped the viewers list. The ten minute short film highlights the state and plight of deaf children as the most marginised in society.
Envelope of Communication has also featured before in the Amakula Film Festival. Though it never came close to a win, I am glad that finally my works have paid off said Kitsha a second year student of Diploma in Filming at KU.
“I have always wanted to tell stories and represent those that cannot speak for them selves, that is why my interest was about deaf children” says Jolly Kitsha while waving his art clothe award with inscriptions “First Viewers Choice”.
In second position was “Fred the Garbage Collector” directed by Noeline Nalweyiso and in third was “Smoking for Money” by Molly Nakamya all of Kampala University.
 Commenting on the winners, UCU Film Club’s Eddie Oketcho said the awards were incentives to inspire young people to showcase their talent and art in film making.
“I am glad that those who won deserved it, to me it was a success not a loss even if they took all the awards because I am driven by seeing people recognized for doing good” remarked Oketcho
“As UCU film club members we look forward to working closely with Kampala University Film Department because they seem more experienced in this area than us” he concludes.