Global Courant 2023-04-25 18:21:50
EXCLUSIVE: Yellow Veil Pictures and Drafthouse Films have co-acquired North American rights to Cathryne Czubek’s documentary Once Upon A Time Uganda.
The work revolves around the unlikely friendship between Uganda’s answer to Quentin Tarantino, filmmaker Isaac Nabwana, and American film programmer Alan Hofmanis, who moves to the East African country to collaborate on his films.
Against the backdrop of Wakaliga, a slum in Uganda’s capital of Kampala, the pair unite over their shared love of Chuck Norris and gonzo 80’s action flicks and ambitions to catapult ‘Wakaliwood’ to international stardom.
The film was originally due to world premiere at the canceled 2020 edition of SXSW but then debuted at DocNYC, where it won the Grand Jury Prize in the US Competition.
The distributors are planning a theatrical release with an exclusive week run with Alamo Drafthouse theaters starting July 4th before expanding to additional markets. The film will hit digital platforms on July 25.
“Once Upon A Time In Uganda not only tells the fascinating untold story of Issac Nabwana’s true passion for stories and spectacle, but it’s also a heartfelt story of friendship,” said Yellow Veil Pictures Co-Founder, Hugues Barbier.
“It reminds us so much as to why we love films in the first place and teaming up with Drafthouse Films to bring this gem to the public seemed like the natural thing to do. We can’t wait to see this with an audience cheering and laughing.”
Drafthouse Films CEO Nick Savva added: “The whole Drafthouse Films team is magnetically drawn to stories that explore what it means to be in love with cinema. This film is no exception.”
Once Upon A Time In Uganda was directed by Cathryne Czubek of Wonderview Studios and was also produced by Czubek with Gigi Dement, Hugo Perez, Matt Porwoll and Kyaligamba Ark Martin. Czubek wrote the film with Amanda Hughes.
The deal was negotiated by Yellow Veil Pictures Co-Founders Hugues Barbier, Justin Timms, and Joe Yanick, with Mike Chapman at Blue Finch, which is handling international sales.
