In the just concluded Oscar awards, “20 Days in Mariupol” movie was voted the winner in the Best documentary feature film category, beating “Bobi Wine: The People’s President” in which Uganda’s former presidential contender featured.
It was Uganda’s Moses Bwayo who received a nominations as the director as well as Christopher Sharp in this category that also had “The Eternal Memory”, “Four Daughters” and “To Kill a Tiger” as the other nominees.
But despite the loss, Bobi Wine, real name Robert Kyagulanyi, said the movie has left a mark that he and other people involved in its production never expected. In a long Facebook post, the National Unity Platform (NUP) party president said that the movie has been watched by millions of people, among other things.
“It was a great evening spent at the Oscars. Several months prior to this, a lot of hard work was put in pushing the Ugandan story across cities and continents. Earning Uganda an Oscar nomination is something we shall always be proud of. Like I have repeatedly said, we did not set out to make an award winning film, but directors Moses Bwayo and Christopher Sharp decided that it was a story worth telling. In the process, this film has been able to earn several highly acclaimed awards and nominations. It has been watched by millions of people across the world. It has earned Uganda many friends, and some enemies as well. It has showcased to the world the incredible strength of the Ugandan people amidst great adversity. It has brought to life how strong we are as a people united against tyranny,” part of Bobi Wine’s post reads.
He also added that from the outset, they always knew that if their film did not win the Oscar award for Best Documentary Feature, the award would go to “20 Days in Mariupol” – a film that speaks of the struggle of the Ukrainian people against aggression.
Oppenheimer” was the biggest winner at the 2024 Oscars, coming in with 13 nominations and earning awards in major categories such as best director, best actor and best picture.
This year’s ceremony took place at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles with comedian and late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel returning to host the Oscars for the second year in a row and his fourth time overall.