Ugandan filmmakers and creatives are heading to Johannesburg, South Africa, for the iKON Activate Creative Exchange, a five-day programme designed to strengthen connections, skills and co-production opportunities across Africa’s film industry.
Taking place from October 14 to 19, the Johannesburg edition builds on previous iKON Activate engagements in Lagos, Nairobi and Kigali. This time, the programme will bring Ugandan creatives into South Africa’s established film ecosystem, creating opportunities to learn from industry professionals while exploring new partnerships between the two countries.
The exchange will be hosted by South African actor, producer and creative entrepreneur Thapelo Mokoena, who has previously engaged with Uganda’s creative sector. The programme will celebrate the cultural links between Uganda and South Africa while creating a space for filmmakers from both markets to exchange ideas and experiences.
One of the major highlights will be the African Film Forum at MultiChoice City, under the theme “Africa Is Our Studio: From Collaboration to Commerce.” The forum will explore how African filmmakers can move beyond collaboration for its own sake and build sustainable creative businesses through partnerships, distribution and financing.
The discussion will feature a keynote from the Head of Content Strategy at MultiChoice Group, alongside a panel bringing together filmmakers, producers, distributors and industry leaders from Uganda and South Africa. Speakers include Matthew Nabwiso, President of the National Producers’ Guild of Uganda; Mokoena; Mayenzeke Baza of AAA Entertainment; Nwabisa Binase of MultiChoice Talent Factory at Canal+; Driki van Zyl of Blue Pictures South Africa; and Ernest Nkosi of First Wednesdays Film Club.
Beyond the formal discussions, the programme will also create room for the creatives to simply connect. The iKON Filmmakers’ Soiree will bring together filmmakers and other industry players for an evening of networking and celebration, while tours of MultiChoice City, visits to active film sets and sightseeing around Johannesburg will give the Ugandan delegation a closer look at South Africa’s film industry in practice.
For Humphrey Nabimanya, founder and CEO of Reach A Hand Africa and the iKON Awards, the Johannesburg exchange is about turning these connections into practical opportunities for young African filmmakers.
The programme is also part of the iKON Awards’ broader effort to position film as a sustainable career path for African youth. Across its first three editions, the initiative has recognised 75 winners, trained 75 young filmmakers and supported the production of 22 short films and four feature films.
Mokoena said his earlier experience in Kampala showed him the energy within Uganda’s film industry and inspired the partnership. The Johannesburg exchange, he added, is an opportunity for South African creatives to share their experience and networks while working with Ugandan filmmakers to build stronger regional and continental connections.
The exchange comes ahead of the fourth iKON Awards, scheduled for December 12 at Kampala Serena Hotel under the theme “Beyond Borders.” That theme perhaps captures the bigger idea behind the Johannesburg trip: African filmmakers do not have to tell their stories within borders that were never designed to contain their creativity.