By Merinah Mbabazi
UCU’s School of Journalism, Media and Communication’s Brian Kabogozza’s film, My First year had its premier cinema run at Metroplex Mall Cinema, Nalya over the weekend. This is a great achievement for the passionate student who aspires to a career in film making.
My First Year is a fictional student film that takes us through the lives of four young individuals. Despite their diverse backgrounds, these students face similar problems as they pursue their Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Communication. The coming of age drama is part of the movie series that includes My Degree and My Background that Brian has worked on with a team of fellow young creatives at UCU ..
My First Year is a well-written story with lovable characters. It highlights themes like “suffering”, “death” and “love” that young people encounter in their pursuit for higher education. This makes the drama relevant and informative . The music is also in tune with the different settings and plot lines which ties the movie up well.
The student film is gaining exposure through its distribution in the cinema. It was included in the Uganda Film Festival 2024 screening schedule. This will pave a way for future student films to gain momentum in Uganda’s film industry. It will also encourage young people to join the industry through different roles like acting, script writing, music composition, directing, among others. They can express their talent and use it to leave an impact.
While the first run at Metroplex Mall Cinema had a full house , student productions may find it difficult to attract a large viewership. This is due to the competition with mainstream productions that are more favoured by large audiences. In addition, the cost of marketing and promoting the productions may not be affordable. Student productions usually have restricted financial resources.
