Uganda's first International Human Rights Film Festival - Cinema Ku'Dembe, is a platform of cinematic art and critical discourse, a space of encounter and dialogue, and a meeting point for young innovative filmmakers, both local and international. We consider cinema not only an artistic form wherein narrative experiences are performed or created, but also an opportunity for the audience to step out of their comfort zone and into dialogue with new challenging realities.

The 2nd edition of Cinema Ku'Dembe is taking place in Kampala,Uganda from December 8th to December 10th, 2019.

The festival presents outstanding documentary and fictional feature films, short films, animations and experimental films dealing with human rights issues. Films, that aim to encourage people, to scrutinise and re-examine their views and that are wary of human rights and responsibilities. Furthermore the festival programme contains thematic lectures, workshops, talks, panel discussions, performances and many more activities.

Cinema Ku'Dembe annual competition programme does contain films, that raise social awareness of human rights issues outside the framework of mainstream films and that focus on socio-critical themes. Films, that fascinate and that captivate with their innovation, aesthetically and thematically. The application to be part of the festival programme is open for films from all categories: fictional features, documentaries, animations, experimental films as well as animated and experimental short films.

The theme of this year is: FREEDOM. Films on the concept of freedom as expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, […]without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”) and in its different articles: freedom from slavery and torture, of arbitrary detention, attacks on their privacy and honour, etc…; freedom of movement, marital freedom; freedom of thought, conscience and religion; freedom of opinion and expression, assembly and association; political and labour freedom, as well as social and cultural. The theme should be the violation of these freedoms and/or their achievement.

Rules & Terms

1.- Submission will be possible through the online platform FilmFreeway.
2.- All films must be about Human Rights.
3.-Works must be submitted in their original language. If the language is not English, they must have subtitles to English.
Selection :
4.- In case of selection, the person who submitted the film will be notified and will be contacted with instructions about the sending of the projection copy and material.
5.- Any expenses will be covered by the person in charge of the submission/selection. The Festival is not responsible for any damage that might occur.
6.- The Festival will notify later on the non-selected applicants
7.- In case of selection, the Festival will not pay any fee if the film was submitted through this call for entries.
8.- The Festival will realize itinerant exhibitions of the selected works in its national and international branches. The acceptance of this rules and regulations implies the authorization for the exhibition from the rights holders
9.- The Selection Committee is formed by Festivals Members and by film experts. The Committee will follow the criteria of quality and creativity that the Festival Direction would have decided previously.
Legal note :
10.- The Festival Organization supposes that the producers or filmmakers submitting the films through this call for entries own the exhibition rights of the films submitted, therefore the Festival is exempted of any civil or penal responsibility.
11.- Submission implies the acceptance of these rules and regulations, and the Festival Organization is the only responsible for their implementation.
For any additional information please contact our team.