”HUH?” Is a Short Ugandan film from Let’s Act Production Company ,the film explores subliminal levels of interpretation. Written and Directed by Andrew Makumbi, Executive Producer Kasule, the short film stars Timosewo Baguma and Katrina Ourah.
Ashlee Desire -Screenplay
Love interests are hazardous, there’s no way around it in this short film but so are they, the only kind in which most young people seem to feel most understood and safe. On the face of it, a nervous young couple meets and as time goes, organically, their lives blend to fit both of their lifestyles. How does a man( Timosewo Baguma) too nervous to hold a girl’s hand wind up taking her life?
The sense of sensuality and comfort that the girl (Katrina Ourah) feels around this man, the idea of such safety from an independent man is quite satisfying for anyone, especially a young girl. There’s no danger that could possibly be foreseen. However, for the man, his emotions are running wild. From the perspective in which events unfold, his side of the room gets messier after every fight they have indicating how toxic it seems to be getting for him.
Both parties outrun the fact that it’s not working but the man, he’s got tendencies. The writer and director (Andrew Makumbi) creates events in which later, the real intention of the man in this relationship is revealed. The girl’s tragic end arrives where she’s not only murdered but also sliced to retrieve organs for sale. The script and film seek to criticize the disregard of several cases of young women being reported lost and later, found dead with missing body organs. The ignorance of these cases to the general public continues to have several women as seen at the end of the film, falling victim of the same monstrous man and behavior but then again, how could they know with a charm that he intentionally employs to cloud their judgement and seduce them with?
Andrew Makumbi —Writer and Director
I had this idea for a long time. And I always felt like I wasn’t ready to do it, like I didn’t have the capability to pull it off production-wise, but one day I just decided to go for it. I gathered my team of bandits, my amazing stars, Timosewo Baguma and Katrina Ourah, who both did an outstanding job by the way. Much much more than I thought we would have. And Madeby Zurah, who I gave the script and in only a few days she had costume concepts for the whole film.
My whole crew was the best anyone could get, from the script supervisor, Desire Ashlee to the set runners led by Akena Godfrey, to the director of photography, MUSITAFA ALI KAVUMA. with whom we edited the film for over a week, and OCHODIO DANNY, who I sat down with and scored their film together for over 5 weeks. It wasn’t easy to make. That is why I am entirely thankful for them.
My intention for this film was to primarily give a voice to that act that was/is taking place in Uganda, young girls who have their organs harvested from them and sold for profit. It made the news for a second but was in and out in no time and I wanted to make it last long, forever if you may say. So I gave it a voice that can never be erased, and what better voice is that, than cinema. People need to look out for this things, these horrible things that are happening right under our noses. Don’t meet people you don’t know. Know someone first.
My secondary intention for this film was to metaphorically navigate the environment of a slowly one sided dying relationship. If the view looks closer, than just seeing the picture, they can advancely experience the hidden metaphors I managed to sneak there that will in actuality tell you what’s going to happen at the end of the film, from the start of the film. Like I said about it, subliminal levels of interpretation. It can be seen in many ways, by many different people. And that I believe, is what makes cinema beautiful.
PS: I’d also like to thank my mother who made food for the whole crew on the days we spent on set. It wasn’t easy.
Kasule — Executive Producer
I was approached by the writer and director about this idea he had for a long time who by the way is a good friend of mine but when he approached me professionally I didn’t quite have the right motivation to fund this film so unfortunately I turned it down.
It was until I had this rather thrilling story from my dad about various organ harvesting cases that were an issue in the country, and it’s at this moment that I knew someone out there had to know about this some how, and honestly.. What better way to communicate than Cinema?
So an appointment was scheduled, this time with like ideas, right motivation and thirst to educate and entertain the public. The budget was presented to me equaling to approximately 10million ugx, that I of course decreased to 8million ugx, with my team, because that’s what producers do. Being a physical producer I was 100% involved to the last detail of the film, having to appear on set where I met the genius minds of the Costume Designer Madeby Zurah, who in fact I hope to continue working with, the amazing performance from Timosewo Baguma who is a personal friend but was so much into character I almost hardly recognized him.
This is more like a gratitude to the crew for their willingness to create this amazing story, I remember we had to reshoot some scenes but not a problem was got trying to collect them again, so from the D.O.P (Mustafa Ali Kavuma), Set Runners, Set designers, location managers, costume designer, BTS photographers, thank you again, this probably wouldn’t have happened without you.
This is the fourth film I have produced, and it warms my heart to finally know it’s seen the broad day light.
Timosewo Baguma — Lead Role(Fred)
I think everyone who has been in love, has expectations, and Fred (Timosewo Baguma) might just’ve many of those for especially this particular relationship with Sarah(Katrina Ourah),he lets love sweep him off his feet, and it’s perfect, perfect for him until it isn’t anymore, and can his acts he does be justified? Was what he had even real?, what sparks off a change in his character? Does he feel remorse for what he does? Does he like it?
Writer and Director Andrew Makumbi approached me with this idea, before he got to script it and yeah, I felt it was a brilliant issue that needed to be visually communicated, the script came in a few days later and he had asked me to play the lead. Honest truth, I didn’t read the script until after what felt like a week, and when I finally did open it, my mind was intrigued by the whole story, most specifically the male character, and the more I understood the script, the more questions I realized were attached to him, and the line between me and him was as clear as it could ever be. It was at this point that I realized the weight of this character, I thought to myself, if I can’t breath life to this amazing character, the story dies and I just wasn’t about to do that, so I turned down the role.
The Director and Executive producer (Kasule) contacted me once again, thanks to their convincing tongues, I took on the role again.
I had two weeks to prepare for the role. I built the character off the small details that I picked from the script, and I was challenged to immerse myself into the character fully, this meant crossing that line that separated me from this character.
During preparation for this role, I isolated myself from everyone for about two weeks, staying alone and not in touch with anyone, I had to be comfortable with my butt out so I was always naked in the room ,I went off the media, read a lot of novels, living a completely different life from my own-until my mind actually did believe I was fully in, and the more I got to this point, the answers to the many questions were now being answered. I only listened to Fred Kigozi’s music during the period,(this is where I named the character Fred, and Sarah for coming from, the song titled “onkyayideki Sara” that features in the film too). I had to change my physicality, (that is, am a right handed person but Fred was a left handed person in the film, changed my walking style..bla bla).
The rest is history so, let me save you of this boring actor’s process and actually thank Katrina Ourah my co-star for making it easy to bring the film to life, considering the fact that we met on the day of shooting. The whole team I worked with on this project, I appreciate them so much, and to my assistant, am grateful.
Watch HUH! on Youtube now.
The highly anticipated short film ‘HUH?’ from Let’s Act Production Company is now available for viewing on YouTube. Written and directed by Andrew Makumbi, and executive produced by Kasule, the film explores the subliminal levels of interpretation and features performances by Timosewo Baguma and Katrina Ourah. Don’t miss out on this thought-provoking and visually stunning film, watch it now on YouTube;
