African Studies Media Catalog
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Aiming High (DVD : 26 min. ) [2005]
DVD 8462
Abstract: This film focuses on Uganda's successful economic recovery in the wake of Idi Amin's regime.
Director: Ashley Bruce Distributor:Bull Frog
Keywords: Uganda, Idi Amin, poverty, government policy, development, economy
Burden on the Land (DVD : 52 min. ) [1991]
DVD 9044
Abstract: Filmed in the face of enormous political and geographical obstacles, Burden on the Land is a comprehensive look at Africa's future as it faces the 21st century. It addresses the root causes of famine and suggests reasons why development efforts in Africa have been so disappointing. Examining the sub-Saharan countries - Mozambique, Malawi, Rwanda, Burundi, Zaire, Ivory Coast, Mali, Ethiopia and Uganda - the documentary clarifies the conflicts and interrelated issues of politics, health, environment, and culture. When the colonial powers left Africa, the political vacuum was filled by authoritarian regimes whose armies continue to keep them in power. Frequent tribal wars keep countless people refugees, fleeing from one nation to another. Despite the efforts of international relief agencies, the vast number of refugees have depleted the host countries of resources. The film shows that despite the overwhelming problems there are small successes that improve the quality of life - dams, food processing, reforestation, road building, irrigation, and animal husbandry. But basically, it proposes that Africa's future depends on developing an infrastructure while maintaining the integrity of village life.
Director: Roger Pyke Productions Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: famine, development, colonization, environment, health, politics, history
Children of War (Videocassette : 28 min. ) [2001]
VHS 9178
Abstract: Thousands of children have been kidnapped and used as soldiers by the Ugandan rebel army, the Lord's Resistance Army. The children, many of whom are tortured, live a life of terror: girls as young as 12 are used as sex slaves, while the boys are forced to sometimes even kill family members. Once they have completed this terrible task, they are considered tough enough to be used in raids by the rebel army. This film follows two such children who escaped from their captors: Judith who for six years lived as a sex slave for a rebel commander, and Dennis who was caught when he tried to escape the first time and consequently forced to kill his friend. John Rheinstein, a therapist from 'Save the Children Denmark', attempts to create a new life for those children who have run away from the rebel army. The rehabilitation program includes having the children draw and reenact their traumatic experiences. Judith's parents are found and she is reunited with her family who thought that she had been killed. Three months after his return to the rehabilitation camp, Dennis is still battling with his traumas; his family has failed to retrieve him. Despite all attempts by groups like 'Save the Children' to stop the violence, it is a sad fact that very few children come out of the bush alive in this 'forgotten war'.
Director: Henrik Grunnet, Keld Kluwer Distributor:Filmakers Library, NY
Keywords: Uganda, children, child soldiers, civil war, rehabilitation, sexual abuse, trauma, violence
Crossroads (Videocassette : 55 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 3801
Abstract: The location is a crossing of roads leading from Uganda into Tanzania and from Kenya via Rwanda to Zaire. Some years ago, Mama Shillingi started her 'hotelli' at the crossroads. She offered food and shelter to truck drivers. Until, in 1994, thousands of dead bodies came floating down the nearby Kagera river. Shortly thereafter, the refugees came across the border. Within a few days, half a million people had settled there. Around a hamlet of four houses, a boom town arose called Benaco.
Director: Hillie Molenaar and Joop van Wijk Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: East Africa, Rwanda, refugees, genocide, social life
Cutting Edge (The) (Videocassette : 10 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 3804
Abstract: Documentary film, shot in the Kapchorway region of Uganda, looks at the success story of the REACH project in northern Uganda which replaces the dangerous practice of female genital mutilation with ceremonies for the exchange of cattle and gifts to welcome young girls into the adult community. Producer/director: Charlotte Metcalf. [See also Welcome to Womanhood, a follow up to this film].
Director: Charlotte Metcalf Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Uganda, women, social conditions, initiation rites, development projects, female circumcision
Ebola War: the Nurses of Gulu (Videocassette : 46 min. ) [2002]
VHS 9185
Abstract: Ebola is one of the most contagious and frightening diseases that exist today. It can kill its victim in as little as 48 hours. When it broke out in Northern Uganda, there were scant resources and little knowledge about how to deal with it at Lacor Hospital, in Gulu, Uganda. For nearly a month, medical staff treated Ebola patients without knowing what it was. Soon, however, it became clear that the nursing and medical staff were at risk from this hemorrhagic disease. In the end, thirteen nurses and the medical superintendent, Dr. Mathew Lukwiya, died from the disease. In Ebola War, the nurses tell the emotional stories of how they struggled to contain the outbreak. Medical teams had to go into the war-ravaged countryside to test and educate the population to isolate those infected. Through interviews, personal accounts and archival footage, this intimate and moving film documents a five-month heroic battle in an African hospital against a modern-day plague, and the final triumph over the outbreak.
Director: Yoti Zabulon, Bonnie Henry Distributor:Filmakers Library, NY
Keywords: Uganda, disease control, ebola virus, hemorrhagic fever, health education
Geldoff in Africa (DVD : 240 min. ) [2005]
DVD 5559
Abstract: If Bob Geldof had never seen news footage of the horrific famine in Ethiopia back in the mid-'80s, he might have carried on in relative obscurity, making so-so records with his band the Boomtown Rats. But see it he did, which led to Band Aid (and 'Do They Know It's Christmas' ), Live Aid, Live 8, knighthood, and now Geldof in Africa, a profound, provocative, beautifully made six-part series that aired in 2005 on Britain's BBC. Sir Bob, who narrates both on- and off-screen, visited many parts of what he calls the Luminous Continent (as opposed to the Dark Continent moniker that was ironically bestowed on Africa by Europeans whose own countries were often gray and grim), including Somaliland, a sort of non-country whose very existence isn't acknowledged by any other nation; Ghana, from which slaves were once shipped to America and elsewhere; the Congo, the true heart of darkness, which still bears the ugly scars of Belgian colonization; the Sahara desert, where 'you discover the absolute insignificance of you'; Uganda, where a brutal 'rebel leader' abducts children and turns them into sex slaves and soldiers; and Ethiopia, where it all started for Geldof (and where conditions are actually improving). But Geldof and producer-director John Maguire's film is not a travelogue. Nor is it a scientific documentary, although we learn something about geography, anthropology, meteorology, geology, agriculture, history, religion, and, inevitably, politics. What distinguishes Geldof in Africa is the presence of Geldof himself. An excellent writer and articulate speaker, he brings a decidedly subjective point of view to the work. 'I can't do slick television,' he admits; neither cynical nor naïve, he says exactly what he thinks, and expresses his wonder, fascination, rage, grief, sympathy, blame, and hope with a quiet passion that compels the viewer to feel those things as well. The camera work is flawless throughout, with shot after shot of breathtaking beauty, and Pete Briquette's music provides graceful accompaniment. Extras include audio commentary by Geldof and Maguire, deleted scenes, photos, and a Geldof interview. --Sam Graham
Director: John Maguire Distributor:BBC/Warner Vision International
Keywords: Africa, Congo, Ghana, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, charity, development, NGO, travel
Général Idi Amin Dada: Autoportrait = General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait (DVD : 90 min. ) [2002]
DVD 2016
Abstract: In 1974 a film crew followed Idi Amin Dada, dictator of Uganda, interviewing him and filming him as he worked. Provides a candid portrait of a notorious figure.
Director: Barbet Schroeder Distributor:Criterion Collection
Keywords: Uganda, Idi Amin Dada, biography, history
I Have a Problem, Madam (Videocassette : 59 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 3254
Abstract: Run by female lawyers, FIDA-Uganda has set up several legal aid centers for women in domestic trouble. With the help of a weekly radio show, the centers fill daily with women waiting to tell their stories. FIDA lawyers attempt to reconcile the women and their men in face to face meetings, even if it means traveling to isolated villages. The attitudes of both men and women are beginning to change, but this slow process sometimes leads to conflicts between official and traditional law. A film by Maarten Schmidt and Thomas Doebele.
Director: Maarten Scmidt, Thomas Doebele Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: Uganda, women, law, marriage, social conditions, development, family violence
Invisible Children (DVD : 55 min. ) [2006]
DVD 5486
Abstract: In Uganda's long-lasting civil war, many children have been abducted to be trained as child soldiers. This film documents the children's life and general social conditions in Uganda in 2003. What started out as a film-making adventure in Africa, transformed into much more, when the three young Americans original travels took a divine turn, and they found themselves stranded in Northern Uganda. They discovered children being kidnapped nightly from their homes and subsequently forced to fight as child soldiers. Children as young as eight are methodically kidnapped from their homes by a rebel group called the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). The abducted children are then desensitized to the horror of brutal violence and killing, as they themselves are turned into vicious fighters. Some escape and hide in constant fear for their lives. Most remain captive, and grow to maturity with no education other than life in the bush and fighting in a guerilla war. Of the many ramifications that a 20 -year-long war can cause, the film highlights what the community refers to as 'night commuters.' We watch thousands of children commute out of fear, from their villages to nearby towns each night in order to avoid the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) abductions. They sleep in public places, vulnerable, and without supervision.
Director: Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, Laren Poole Distributor:Invisible Children
Keywords: Uganda, children, civil war, child soldiers
It's Not Easy (Videocassette : 48 min. ) [1991]
V.CASS. VHS 7537
Abstract: Dramatic representation of middle-class Africans and their struggle to deal with the realities and challenges posed when a married Ugandan business executive contracts HIV and passes the infection to his wife and unborn child.
Director: Faustin J. Misanvu Distributor:Media for Development International
Keywords: Uganda, family life, HIV/AIDS, drama, class, health
Jie Trilogy (Videocassette NA ) [1980]
See Imdividual Titles
Abstract: Three films by David and Judith MacDougal: To Live With Herds [1980], Nawi [1970], Under the Men's Tree [1970]. See individual titles.
Director: David MacDougall Distributor:University of California. Extension Media Center
Keywords: Uganda, Jie, pastoralists, social change
Last King of Scotland (DVD : 123 min. ) [2007]
DVD 7382
Abstract: Chronicles Idi Amin's despotic reign of terror over Uganda as seen through the eyes of Nicholas Garrigan, a Scottish doctor who arrives in Uganda in the early 1970s to serve as Amin's personal physician. His perspective as an outsider causes him to be initially impressed by Amin's calculated rise to power, and he grows increasingly monstrous. A pointed examination of how independent Uganda (a British colony until 1962) became a breeding ground for Amin's genocidal tyranny. Amin is both seductive and horribly destructive. Garrigan grows increasingly prone to exploitation.
Director: Kevin Macdonald Distributor:20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Keywords: Uganda, Idi Amin, military dictator, history, feature film
Mama Wahunzi: Women Blacksmiths (Videocassette : 57 min. ) [2002]
V.CASS. VHS 8049
Abstract: A documentary on women and other citizens in Uganda and Kenya who face life with disabilities and without tools like wheelchairs, which would enable them to lead fuller lives. Through the efforts of some women, the wheelchair industry is now able to make the lives of citizens and in particular women more productive, by supplying these tools.
Director: Lawan Jirasuradej Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: Uganda, Kenya, women, disability, economy
Mivtsa' Yonatan= Operation Jonathan (Videocassette : 124 min. ) [1989]
V. CASS. VHS 7149
Abstract: On June 27, 1976, Air France Flight 139, enroute from Tel Aviv to Paris, was hijacked by Arab and German terrorists and commandeered to Entebbe, Uganda. The Israeli government negotiates while secretly planning one of the most daring rescues ever attempted.
Director: Menahem Golan Distributor:NA
Keywords: Israel, Uganda, Entebbe Airport raid, terrorism, feature film
Nawi (Videocassette : 23 min. ) [1970]
V. CASS. VHS 2971
Abstract: Depicts a segment of the life of the Jie, a semi-nomadic people from northeastern Uganda. Follows their move to northwestern Kenya during the dry seasons from their homestead to a temporary camp (nawi) where grass is plentiful for their cattle. By David and Judith MacDougal. Part of Jie Trilogy (see also To Live With Herds and Under the Men's Tree).
Director: David and Judith MacDougal Distributor:University of California Extension Center for Media
Keywords: Uganda, Jie, pastoralists
Our Friends at the Bank (Videocassette : 90 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 4693
Abstract: Filmed over a period of 14 months, documents the negotiations between the World Bank and Uganda in an attempt to understand and describe the relationship and its implications for Uganda. Describes the activities of James Wolfensohn, president of the World Bank, and Yoweri Museveni, leader of Uganda.
Director: Peter Chappell Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: Uganda, World Bank, aid and development, economy, politics
Paying the Price (Videocassette : 27 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 7421
Abstract: Paying the Price investigates the history of AIDS treatment in Africa. It details Uganda's success with a UN-sponsored program of price reduction and medical education, and South Africa's refusal to begin a national AIDS treatment program despite defeating a drug company court challenge to the government's import and manufacture of generic anti-retroviral drugs. Finally, it looks at the success of smaller local programs that are bringing hope for the future to many infected Africans. Additional materials available at: http://www.tve.org/lifeonline/index.cfm?aid=1171
Director: Toni Strasburg Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Uganda, South Africa, HIV/AIDS, health, politics, drugs
Population 6 Billion (Videocassette : 58 min. ) [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 6140
Abstract: Discusses problems created by the growing human population, which surpassed the six billion mark in 1999. Covers topics such as poverty, illiteracy, the toll on the environment, and water, food and other resource shortages. Addresses the grim realities of life in Third World nations while discussing population control initiatives in Vietnam, Uganda, and Mexico that include family planning, HIV/AIDS testing and counseling, sex education, and efforts to improve the economic status of women.
Director: Sam Shinn, Jonathan Silvers Distributor:Films for the Humanities
Keywords: Uganda, population, development, environment, poverty
To Live With Herds (Videocassette : 138 min. ) [1980]
V. CASS. VHS 2865
Abstract: Demonstrates the effects of nation building in pre-Amin Uganda on the seminomadic pastoral Jie. Looks at life in a traditional Jie homestead during a harsh dry season. Produced and directed by David MacDougal. Part of Jie Trilogy (see also Nawi and Under the Men's Tree). (2 videocassettes: 69 min. each)
Director: David MacDougal Distributor:University of California Extension Center for Media
Keywords: Uganda, Jie, social conditions, pastoralists
Uganda: A Different Drummer (Videocassette : 34 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 7444
Abstract: Uganda has begun eradicating poverty with a unique approach. Gone is the old way of government telling the poor what's good for them. Instead--via community meetings around the country-- the poor are telling government what they want. The results so far: better healthcare, free elementary education, new roads and agricultural extension programs. The government is further helping with poverty reduction by working with the International Monetary Fund for debt relief. Electronic access at: http://www.imf.org/external/mmedia/view1.asp?eventId=54&file=1
Director: Frances Anne Hardin Distributor:International Monetary Fund
Keywords: Uganda, poverty, IMF, development, democracy
Uganda: Education Reforms (Videocassette : 30 min. ) [1999]
V.CASS. VHS 7787
Abstract: Describes the education reforms instituted in Uganda since Yoweri Museveni's rise to power. Sweeping reforms in primary school education and the use of tutors to find solutions to the problems of teachers and work with communities have contributed to the success of education in Uganda. Present political stability and a new government committed to making education a priority have challenged parents and educators to make the reforms successful.
Director: Cecilia Domeyko Distributor:Films for the Humanities & Sciences
Keywords: Uganda, education, Yoweri Museveni
Under the Men's Tree (Videocassette : 16 min. ) [1973]
V. CASS. VHS 2970
Abstract: Shows the life in Jie cattle camp in the Karamoja district of northern Uganda. Focuses on a group of men as they cut cowhide ropes, tell stories, and sleep. Part of Jie Trilogy (see also Nawi and To Live With Herds).
Director: David MacDougal Distributor:University of California Extension Center for Media
Keywords: Uganda, Jie, pastoralists
War Dance (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 107 min. ) [2008]
DVD 9959
Abstract: Dominic, Rose, and Nancy are three children whose families have been torn apart, their homes destroyed, their innocence lost, and who currently reside in a displaced persons camp in Patongo, Uganda. These children attend a school where they can momentarily forget the brutal realities of their lives, as they participate in music, song and dance. When they are invited to compete in an annual music and dance festival in their nation's capital, their historic journey is also an opportunity to regain a part of their childhood and to taste victory for the first time.
Director: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix Fine Distributor:Thinkfilm LLC
Keywords: Uganda, dance, music, performance, children, war, displacement, feature film
Welcome to Womanhood (Videocassette : 14 min. ) [1998]
V.CASS. VHS 8935
Abstract: In a follow-up to the 1996 documentary The Cutting Edge, BBC-TV correspondent Donu Kogbara returns to the Kapchorwe region of Uganda to look at the success and failure of the REACH project in northern Uganda which tried to replace the dangerous practice of female genital mutilation with ceremonies for the exchange of cattle and gifts to welcome young girls into the adult community. [See also The Cutting Edge].
Director: Charlotte Metcalf Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Uganda, women, female genital surgeries, ritual
Women and War (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [2002]
V.CASS. VHS 7966
Abstract: Interwoven with footage from recent conflicts in the Middle East, Bosnia, northern Uganda, and South Africa, this program captures women's personal experiences of military violence, explains how they survived, and reflects on their growing resistance to war. The women's feelings of loss, uncertainty, and anguish are expressed through stories of cruelty, degradation, and psychological trauma, while their attempts to achieve reconciliation and rebuild shattered communities demonstrate their positive efforts to create a more peaceful future for everyone. Narrated by Pamela Nomvete.
Director: Robyn Hofmeyr, Minky Schlesinger Distributor:Films for the Humanities and Sciences
Keywords: South Africa, Uganda, Bosnia, Middle East, women, war
World Bank (The): The Great Experiment (Videocassette : 100 min. ) [1997]
V.CASS. VHS 5105
Abstract: This two-part documentary provides a rare glimpse into both the inner workings of the World Bank and its efforts to bring economic stability to Africa. A case study tracks the fortunes of proposed development projects in Uganda over a twelve-month period. Through it, we become privy to how decisions are made, who benefits and why, and what happens when World Bank and Ugandan policies clash. Actual footage of closed-door meetings and private conversations between officials provides insights into negotiations conducted at World Bank offices in Washington, D.C., and in Uganda. Pt. 1 -- Tug of war (50 min., 14 sec.); Pt. 2 -- Mountains of debt (50 min., 14 sec.).
Director: Peter Chappell Distributor:Films for the Humanities
Keywords: Uganda, World Bank, economic conditions, development
Page(s): 1
Aiming High (DVD : 26 min. ) [2005]
DVD 8462
Abstract: This film focuses on Uganda's successful economic recovery in the wake of Idi Amin's regime.
Director: Ashley Bruce Distributor:Bull Frog
Keywords: Uganda, Idi Amin, poverty, government policy, development, economy
Burden on the Land (DVD : 52 min. ) [1991]
DVD 9044
Abstract: Filmed in the face of enormous political and geographical obstacles, Burden on the Land is a comprehensive look at Africa's future as it faces the 21st century. It addresses the root causes of famine and suggests reasons why development efforts in Africa have been so disappointing. Examining the sub-Saharan countries - Mozambique, Malawi, Rwanda, Burundi, Zaire, Ivory Coast, Mali, Ethiopia and Uganda - the documentary clarifies the conflicts and interrelated issues of politics, health, environment, and culture. When the colonial powers left Africa, the political vacuum was filled by authoritarian regimes whose armies continue to keep them in power. Frequent tribal wars keep countless people refugees, fleeing from one nation to another. Despite the efforts of international relief agencies, the vast number of refugees have depleted the host countries of resources. The film shows that despite the overwhelming problems there are small successes that improve the quality of life - dams, food processing, reforestation, road building, irrigation, and animal husbandry. But basically, it proposes that Africa's future depends on developing an infrastructure while maintaining the integrity of village life.
Director: Roger Pyke Productions Distributor:Filmakers Library
Keywords: famine, development, colonization, environment, health, politics, history
Children of War (Videocassette : 28 min. ) [2001]
VHS 9178
Abstract: Thousands of children have been kidnapped and used as soldiers by the Ugandan rebel army, the Lord's Resistance Army. The children, many of whom are tortured, live a life of terror: girls as young as 12 are used as sex slaves, while the boys are forced to sometimes even kill family members. Once they have completed this terrible task, they are considered tough enough to be used in raids by the rebel army. This film follows two such children who escaped from their captors: Judith who for six years lived as a sex slave for a rebel commander, and Dennis who was caught when he tried to escape the first time and consequently forced to kill his friend. John Rheinstein, a therapist from 'Save the Children Denmark', attempts to create a new life for those children who have run away from the rebel army. The rehabilitation program includes having the children draw and reenact their traumatic experiences. Judith's parents are found and she is reunited with her family who thought that she had been killed. Three months after his return to the rehabilitation camp, Dennis is still battling with his traumas; his family has failed to retrieve him. Despite all attempts by groups like 'Save the Children' to stop the violence, it is a sad fact that very few children come out of the bush alive in this 'forgotten war'.
Director: Henrik Grunnet, Keld Kluwer Distributor:Filmakers Library, NY
Keywords: Uganda, children, child soldiers, civil war, rehabilitation, sexual abuse, trauma, violence
Crossroads (Videocassette : 55 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 3801
Abstract: The location is a crossing of roads leading from Uganda into Tanzania and from Kenya via Rwanda to Zaire. Some years ago, Mama Shillingi started her 'hotelli' at the crossroads. She offered food and shelter to truck drivers. Until, in 1994, thousands of dead bodies came floating down the nearby Kagera river. Shortly thereafter, the refugees came across the border. Within a few days, half a million people had settled there. Around a hamlet of four houses, a boom town arose called Benaco.
Director: Hillie Molenaar and Joop van Wijk Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: East Africa, Rwanda, refugees, genocide, social life
Cutting Edge (The) (Videocassette : 10 min. ) [1996]
V. CASS. VHS 3804
Abstract: Documentary film, shot in the Kapchorway region of Uganda, looks at the success story of the REACH project in northern Uganda which replaces the dangerous practice of female genital mutilation with ceremonies for the exchange of cattle and gifts to welcome young girls into the adult community. Producer/director: Charlotte Metcalf. [See also Welcome to Womanhood, a follow up to this film].
Director: Charlotte Metcalf Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Uganda, women, social conditions, initiation rites, development projects, female circumcision
Ebola War: the Nurses of Gulu (Videocassette : 46 min. ) [2002]
VHS 9185
Abstract: Ebola is one of the most contagious and frightening diseases that exist today. It can kill its victim in as little as 48 hours. When it broke out in Northern Uganda, there were scant resources and little knowledge about how to deal with it at Lacor Hospital, in Gulu, Uganda. For nearly a month, medical staff treated Ebola patients without knowing what it was. Soon, however, it became clear that the nursing and medical staff were at risk from this hemorrhagic disease. In the end, thirteen nurses and the medical superintendent, Dr. Mathew Lukwiya, died from the disease. In Ebola War, the nurses tell the emotional stories of how they struggled to contain the outbreak. Medical teams had to go into the war-ravaged countryside to test and educate the population to isolate those infected. Through interviews, personal accounts and archival footage, this intimate and moving film documents a five-month heroic battle in an African hospital against a modern-day plague, and the final triumph over the outbreak.
Director: Yoti Zabulon, Bonnie Henry Distributor:Filmakers Library, NY
Keywords: Uganda, disease control, ebola virus, hemorrhagic fever, health education
Geldoff in Africa (DVD : 240 min. ) [2005]
DVD 5559
Abstract: If Bob Geldof had never seen news footage of the horrific famine in Ethiopia back in the mid-'80s, he might have carried on in relative obscurity, making so-so records with his band the Boomtown Rats. But see it he did, which led to Band Aid (and 'Do They Know It's Christmas' ), Live Aid, Live 8, knighthood, and now Geldof in Africa, a profound, provocative, beautifully made six-part series that aired in 2005 on Britain's BBC. Sir Bob, who narrates both on- and off-screen, visited many parts of what he calls the Luminous Continent (as opposed to the Dark Continent moniker that was ironically bestowed on Africa by Europeans whose own countries were often gray and grim), including Somaliland, a sort of non-country whose very existence isn't acknowledged by any other nation; Ghana, from which slaves were once shipped to America and elsewhere; the Congo, the true heart of darkness, which still bears the ugly scars of Belgian colonization; the Sahara desert, where 'you discover the absolute insignificance of you'; Uganda, where a brutal 'rebel leader' abducts children and turns them into sex slaves and soldiers; and Ethiopia, where it all started for Geldof (and where conditions are actually improving). But Geldof and producer-director John Maguire's film is not a travelogue. Nor is it a scientific documentary, although we learn something about geography, anthropology, meteorology, geology, agriculture, history, religion, and, inevitably, politics. What distinguishes Geldof in Africa is the presence of Geldof himself. An excellent writer and articulate speaker, he brings a decidedly subjective point of view to the work. 'I can't do slick television,' he admits; neither cynical nor naïve, he says exactly what he thinks, and expresses his wonder, fascination, rage, grief, sympathy, blame, and hope with a quiet passion that compels the viewer to feel those things as well. The camera work is flawless throughout, with shot after shot of breathtaking beauty, and Pete Briquette's music provides graceful accompaniment. Extras include audio commentary by Geldof and Maguire, deleted scenes, photos, and a Geldof interview. --Sam Graham
Director: John Maguire Distributor:BBC/Warner Vision International
Keywords: Africa, Congo, Ghana, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, charity, development, NGO, travel
Général Idi Amin Dada: Autoportrait = General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait (DVD : 90 min. ) [2002]
DVD 2016
Abstract: In 1974 a film crew followed Idi Amin Dada, dictator of Uganda, interviewing him and filming him as he worked. Provides a candid portrait of a notorious figure.
Director: Barbet Schroeder Distributor:Criterion Collection
Keywords: Uganda, Idi Amin Dada, biography, history
I Have a Problem, Madam (Videocassette : 59 min. ) [1995]
V. CASS. VHS 3254
Abstract: Run by female lawyers, FIDA-Uganda has set up several legal aid centers for women in domestic trouble. With the help of a weekly radio show, the centers fill daily with women waiting to tell their stories. FIDA lawyers attempt to reconcile the women and their men in face to face meetings, even if it means traveling to isolated villages. The attitudes of both men and women are beginning to change, but this slow process sometimes leads to conflicts between official and traditional law. A film by Maarten Schmidt and Thomas Doebele.
Director: Maarten Scmidt, Thomas Doebele Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: Uganda, women, law, marriage, social conditions, development, family violence
Invisible Children (DVD : 55 min. ) [2006]
DVD 5486
Abstract: In Uganda's long-lasting civil war, many children have been abducted to be trained as child soldiers. This film documents the children's life and general social conditions in Uganda in 2003. What started out as a film-making adventure in Africa, transformed into much more, when the three young Americans original travels took a divine turn, and they found themselves stranded in Northern Uganda. They discovered children being kidnapped nightly from their homes and subsequently forced to fight as child soldiers. Children as young as eight are methodically kidnapped from their homes by a rebel group called the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). The abducted children are then desensitized to the horror of brutal violence and killing, as they themselves are turned into vicious fighters. Some escape and hide in constant fear for their lives. Most remain captive, and grow to maturity with no education other than life in the bush and fighting in a guerilla war. Of the many ramifications that a 20 -year-long war can cause, the film highlights what the community refers to as 'night commuters.' We watch thousands of children commute out of fear, from their villages to nearby towns each night in order to avoid the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) abductions. They sleep in public places, vulnerable, and without supervision.
Director: Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, Laren Poole Distributor:Invisible Children
Keywords: Uganda, children, civil war, child soldiers
It's Not Easy (Videocassette : 48 min. ) [1991]
V.CASS. VHS 7537
Abstract: Dramatic representation of middle-class Africans and their struggle to deal with the realities and challenges posed when a married Ugandan business executive contracts HIV and passes the infection to his wife and unborn child.
Director: Faustin J. Misanvu Distributor:Media for Development International
Keywords: Uganda, family life, HIV/AIDS, drama, class, health
Jie Trilogy (Videocassette NA ) [1980]
See Imdividual Titles
Abstract: Three films by David and Judith MacDougal: To Live With Herds [1980], Nawi [1970], Under the Men's Tree [1970]. See individual titles.
Director: David MacDougall Distributor:University of California. Extension Media Center
Keywords: Uganda, Jie, pastoralists, social change
Last King of Scotland (DVD : 123 min. ) [2007]
DVD 7382
Abstract: Chronicles Idi Amin's despotic reign of terror over Uganda as seen through the eyes of Nicholas Garrigan, a Scottish doctor who arrives in Uganda in the early 1970s to serve as Amin's personal physician. His perspective as an outsider causes him to be initially impressed by Amin's calculated rise to power, and he grows increasingly monstrous. A pointed examination of how independent Uganda (a British colony until 1962) became a breeding ground for Amin's genocidal tyranny. Amin is both seductive and horribly destructive. Garrigan grows increasingly prone to exploitation.
Director: Kevin Macdonald Distributor:20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Keywords: Uganda, Idi Amin, military dictator, history, feature film
Mama Wahunzi: Women Blacksmiths (Videocassette : 57 min. ) [2002]
V.CASS. VHS 8049
Abstract: A documentary on women and other citizens in Uganda and Kenya who face life with disabilities and without tools like wheelchairs, which would enable them to lead fuller lives. Through the efforts of some women, the wheelchair industry is now able to make the lives of citizens and in particular women more productive, by supplying these tools.
Director: Lawan Jirasuradej Distributor:Women Make Movies
Keywords: Uganda, Kenya, women, disability, economy
Mivtsa' Yonatan= Operation Jonathan (Videocassette : 124 min. ) [1989]
V. CASS. VHS 7149
Abstract: On June 27, 1976, Air France Flight 139, enroute from Tel Aviv to Paris, was hijacked by Arab and German terrorists and commandeered to Entebbe, Uganda. The Israeli government negotiates while secretly planning one of the most daring rescues ever attempted.
Director: Menahem Golan Distributor:NA
Keywords: Israel, Uganda, Entebbe Airport raid, terrorism, feature film
Nawi (Videocassette : 23 min. ) [1970]
V. CASS. VHS 2971
Abstract: Depicts a segment of the life of the Jie, a semi-nomadic people from northeastern Uganda. Follows their move to northwestern Kenya during the dry seasons from their homestead to a temporary camp (nawi) where grass is plentiful for their cattle. By David and Judith MacDougal. Part of Jie Trilogy (see also To Live With Herds and Under the Men's Tree).
Director: David and Judith MacDougal Distributor:University of California Extension Center for Media
Keywords: Uganda, Jie, pastoralists
Our Friends at the Bank (Videocassette : 90 min. ) [1997]
V. CASS. VHS 4693
Abstract: Filmed over a period of 14 months, documents the negotiations between the World Bank and Uganda in an attempt to understand and describe the relationship and its implications for Uganda. Describes the activities of James Wolfensohn, president of the World Bank, and Yoweri Museveni, leader of Uganda.
Director: Peter Chappell Distributor:First Run/Icarus
Keywords: Uganda, World Bank, aid and development, economy, politics
Paying the Price (Videocassette : 27 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 7421
Abstract: Paying the Price investigates the history of AIDS treatment in Africa. It details Uganda's success with a UN-sponsored program of price reduction and medical education, and South Africa's refusal to begin a national AIDS treatment program despite defeating a drug company court challenge to the government's import and manufacture of generic anti-retroviral drugs. Finally, it looks at the success of smaller local programs that are bringing hope for the future to many infected Africans. Additional materials available at: http://www.tve.org/lifeonline/index.cfm?aid=1171
Director: Toni Strasburg Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Uganda, South Africa, HIV/AIDS, health, politics, drugs
Population 6 Billion (Videocassette : 58 min. ) [2000]
V.CASS. VHS 6140
Abstract: Discusses problems created by the growing human population, which surpassed the six billion mark in 1999. Covers topics such as poverty, illiteracy, the toll on the environment, and water, food and other resource shortages. Addresses the grim realities of life in Third World nations while discussing population control initiatives in Vietnam, Uganda, and Mexico that include family planning, HIV/AIDS testing and counseling, sex education, and efforts to improve the economic status of women.
Director: Sam Shinn, Jonathan Silvers Distributor:Films for the Humanities
Keywords: Uganda, population, development, environment, poverty
To Live With Herds (Videocassette : 138 min. ) [1980]
V. CASS. VHS 2865
Abstract: Demonstrates the effects of nation building in pre-Amin Uganda on the seminomadic pastoral Jie. Looks at life in a traditional Jie homestead during a harsh dry season. Produced and directed by David MacDougal. Part of Jie Trilogy (see also Nawi and Under the Men's Tree). (2 videocassettes: 69 min. each)
Director: David MacDougal Distributor:University of California Extension Center for Media
Keywords: Uganda, Jie, social conditions, pastoralists
Uganda: A Different Drummer (Videocassette : 34 min. ) [2001]
V.CASS. VHS 7444
Abstract: Uganda has begun eradicating poverty with a unique approach. Gone is the old way of government telling the poor what's good for them. Instead--via community meetings around the country-- the poor are telling government what they want. The results so far: better healthcare, free elementary education, new roads and agricultural extension programs. The government is further helping with poverty reduction by working with the International Monetary Fund for debt relief. Electronic access at: http://www.imf.org/external/mmedia/view1.asp?eventId=54&file=1
Director: Frances Anne Hardin Distributor:International Monetary Fund
Keywords: Uganda, poverty, IMF, development, democracy
Uganda: Education Reforms (Videocassette : 30 min. ) [1999]
V.CASS. VHS 7787
Abstract: Describes the education reforms instituted in Uganda since Yoweri Museveni's rise to power. Sweeping reforms in primary school education and the use of tutors to find solutions to the problems of teachers and work with communities have contributed to the success of education in Uganda. Present political stability and a new government committed to making education a priority have challenged parents and educators to make the reforms successful.
Director: Cecilia Domeyko Distributor:Films for the Humanities & Sciences
Keywords: Uganda, education, Yoweri Museveni
Under the Men's Tree (Videocassette : 16 min. ) [1973]
V. CASS. VHS 2970
Abstract: Shows the life in Jie cattle camp in the Karamoja district of northern Uganda. Focuses on a group of men as they cut cowhide ropes, tell stories, and sleep. Part of Jie Trilogy (see also Nawi and To Live With Herds).
Director: David MacDougal Distributor:University of California Extension Center for Media
Keywords: Uganda, Jie, pastoralists
War Dance (Video Disc/Laser Vision : 107 min. ) [2008]
DVD 9959
Abstract: Dominic, Rose, and Nancy are three children whose families have been torn apart, their homes destroyed, their innocence lost, and who currently reside in a displaced persons camp in Patongo, Uganda. These children attend a school where they can momentarily forget the brutal realities of their lives, as they participate in music, song and dance. When they are invited to compete in an annual music and dance festival in their nation's capital, their historic journey is also an opportunity to regain a part of their childhood and to taste victory for the first time.
Director: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix Fine Distributor:Thinkfilm LLC
Keywords: Uganda, dance, music, performance, children, war, displacement, feature film
Welcome to Womanhood (Videocassette : 14 min. ) [1998]
V.CASS. VHS 8935
Abstract: In a follow-up to the 1996 documentary The Cutting Edge, BBC-TV correspondent Donu Kogbara returns to the Kapchorwe region of Uganda to look at the success and failure of the REACH project in northern Uganda which tried to replace the dangerous practice of female genital mutilation with ceremonies for the exchange of cattle and gifts to welcome young girls into the adult community. [See also The Cutting Edge].
Director: Charlotte Metcalf Distributor:Bullfrog Films
Keywords: Uganda, women, female genital surgeries, ritual
Women and War (Videocassette : 52 min. ) [2002]
V.CASS. VHS 7966
Abstract: Interwoven with footage from recent conflicts in the Middle East, Bosnia, northern Uganda, and South Africa, this program captures women's personal experiences of military violence, explains how they survived, and reflects on their growing resistance to war. The women's feelings of loss, uncertainty, and anguish are expressed through stories of cruelty, degradation, and psychological trauma, while their attempts to achieve reconciliation and rebuild shattered communities demonstrate their positive efforts to create a more peaceful future for everyone. Narrated by Pamela Nomvete.
Director: Robyn Hofmeyr, Minky Schlesinger Distributor:Films for the Humanities and Sciences
Keywords: South Africa, Uganda, Bosnia, Middle East, women, war
World Bank (The): The Great Experiment (Videocassette : 100 min. ) [1997]
V.CASS. VHS 5105
Abstract: This two-part documentary provides a rare glimpse into both the inner workings of the World Bank and its efforts to bring economic stability to Africa. A case study tracks the fortunes of proposed development projects in Uganda over a twelve-month period. Through it, we become privy to how decisions are made, who benefits and why, and what happens when World Bank and Ugandan policies clash. Actual footage of closed-door meetings and private conversations between officials provides insights into negotiations conducted at World Bank offices in Washington, D.C., and in Uganda. Pt. 1 -- Tug of war (50 min., 14 sec.); Pt. 2 -- Mountains of debt (50 min., 14 sec.).
Director: Peter Chappell Distributor:Films for the Humanities
Keywords: Uganda, World Bank, economic conditions, development
September 16, 2008: Geoffrey Nyarota
