Ex legislator Hon. Rachael Magoola has called for greater investment in Uganda’s young storytellers, arguing that the country’s emerging filmmakers need stronger support if Uganda is to build a competitive film industry.
Magoola made the call as Pearlwood unveiled nominees for the 2026 Pearlwood Film Awards at the Uganda National Cultural Centre in Kampala on Friday.
In a statement delivered at the ceremony, Magoola described the awards as more than an annual recognition programme, saying they are increasingly becoming a platform for identifying talent, encouraging quality storytelling and strengthening Uganda’s creative sector.
The 2026 nominees were selected following months of technical assessment and professional review of films submitted by schools and filmmakers.
For Magoola, the quality of the productions points to a growing pool of talent that Uganda should invest in rather than leave to develop without adequate support.
She said the nominees demonstrate the creative potential existing within Uganda’s schools, institutions and wider filmmaking community, describing the future of Ugandan cinema as “bright, diverse and globally competitive.”
The remarks come at a time when Uganda’s film industry continues to grapple with familiar challenges including limited financing, inadequate production infrastructure, skills development and difficulties accessing sustainable markets.
Pearlwood says its awards programme is designed to address some of these challenges by creating a platform through which emerging filmmakers can be identified, celebrated and connected to audiences and industry professionals.
The 2026 programme will combine public participation with professional assessment.
Public voting opens on August 8, allowing audiences in Uganda and the diaspora to vote for their preferred nominees. At the same time, an independent jury will assess the nominated productions against established artistic and technical criteria.
The organisers say the combination is intended to ensure that audience appreciation complements, rather than replaces, professional assessment.
The independent jury is expected to include professionals from Uganda’s creative industry, although its composition will be announced later.
Beyond the awards themselves, Pearlwood has scheduled a Nominee and Industry Dialogue from August 29 to October 10, providing an opportunity for nominees and industry stakeholders to engage on issues affecting Uganda’s film sector.
The programme will culminate in the Pearlwood Film Awards Gala Night on October 14, when filmmakers and other creative professionals will be recognised across several categories.
The categories include Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Editor, Best Cameo Actor, Best Cameo Actress, Best Professional Supporting Actor, Best Professional Supporting Actress and Short Film of the Year, among others.
Pearlwood also used the nominee unveiling to announce an initiative targeting the next generation of school filmmakers.
The 2027 Pearlwood School Film Challenge will be held under the theme “High School Musical: Reimagining Our Core Values.” According to the organisers, each participating nominated school could receive production support worth up to US$10,000 towards its next film, while schools will only be required to make a modest commitment.
The initiative is intended to make filmmaking more accessible to students while encouraging schools to treat film not only as entertainment but also as a tool for creativity, education and storytelling.
Magoola urged Ugandans, schools, filmmakers and audiences to actively participate in the awards, arguing that public support can contribute to building a stronger creative industry.
The Pearlwood Film Awards are being implemented through collaboration among filmmakers, schools, media organisations, cultural institutions and development partners, with organisers saying the broader objective is to promote legal film distribution and create sustainable opportunities within Uganda’s audiovisual sector.
As the nominees begin campaigning for public votes, the awards are also putting a larger question before the country: whether Uganda can turn the growing enthusiasm around filmmaking into an industry where young storytellers can build lasting careers.
For Magoola and the Pearlwood organisers, recognising the talent is only the beginning. The bigger task is creating the support systems that allow that talent to grow.
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