George Stanley Nsamba
| George Stanley Nsamba | |
|---|---|
 George Stanley Nsamba at the Cast The Light On Prejudice Exhibition in Kampala, 2015 | |
| Born |
Ediu George Stanley Nsamba 14th October 1989 Mulago, Kampala, Uganda |
| Nationality | Ugandan |
| Other names | Nes |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Years active | 2012-Present |
| Notable work | Crafts:The Value Of Life, Silent Depression |
Ediu George Stanley Nsamba, also known as "Nes" (born October 14, 1989) is a Ugandan film producer, director, screenwriter, editor, spokenword artist and human rights activist.[1][2]
Early life
Nsamba was born in Mulago Hospital in the capital city of Uganda Kampala and grew up in the slums of Naguru.[3] Born to a social worker mum Mrs Vicky Aryenyo and a father who worked at Mulago Hospital,his family lived a typical middle-class family in Uganda until his parents divorced when he was 6 letting him and his two siblings grow up with a single mother. Much as he can not count how many siblings he has on his fathers side,he is the second born of three kids with the older sister Doreen Apiny and younger brother Brian Smith Were. He is a college dropout from Makerere University where he was offering a bachelor's degree in Industrial and Fine Arts[4]
His parents having divorced in 1996, Nsamba,his mother and two siblings moved to Naguru-go-down a huge slum in Kampala into an unfinished building which flooded when it rained and construction went on as they lived in it. After being diagnosed with HIV, his mother was admitted at Nsambya hospital in 1998 life became unbearable, Nsamba had to work as a kid carrying trash is exchange for old news papers that he sold to put together money for his little brothers feeding.[5] In 2010 after the death of his friend Ronnie in July 2010 Kampala attacks,[6] he finally over came the battle to drug addiction that he had battled for nearly 6 years.
Career
Nsamba broke through ranks with the successful hit video Nzijukira by rapper St. Nelly-Sade in 2012 but it was not until 2015 that he broke through the film industry with his debut short film Crafts: The Value Of Life which was produced under his charity organization 'The Ghetto Film Project'.[7] Nsamba's second film, Silent Depression, was released June 16, 2015[8] and has since become a cult reference for the effect of smartphones on humanity.[9] It was also regarded the most prolific film that screened at the 5th annual Slum Film Festival in Nairobi by the press and digital media.[10]
His first film ever "The Wish", a tribute to the fight against cancer, starred little known but celebrated writer/artist/poet/entreprenuer Kidron Googo - Th' KlaFella™ In 2012 he was one of the filmmakers whose short film scripts were chosen for the Mnet[11] short film competition and that was the beginning of his film career having previously been affiliated to the hiphop industry. With the growing documentary ideas and script,he soon gained the trust and respect of many and his works through The Ghetto Film Project earned him a nomination at the Social Media Awards[12] in 2013 . In August 2014 he was part of the GhettoXXI Exhibition in Łódź, Poland being the only African representative defining the ghetto in African perspective using photography.[13]
In 2015 following his success and success story as a filmmaker using films made on a small budget for social change, he was chosen to be the main facilitator and mentor at the 5th annual Slum Film Festival in Nairobi,Kenya.[14] He mentored a master class of 14 youth from the huge slums of Mathare, Kibera among other places for a two weeks workshop from 10 August to 20th after which a short film dubbed Best Of Luck was developed.[15] He also took part as the lead discussant with the Kenya Film Commission, PAWA254 among other stake holders in the Kenyan film industry in a series of meetings and workshops organized by Slum Film Festival on low budget film making and measure to improve and grow the quality of the Kenyan film industry.
Personal life
After dropping out of Makerere University, Nsamba ventured into documentary film making and one day when shooting a documentary for Destiny Friends International an NGO in Uganda he realized there was need not just to take the kids and youth to school but equip them with practical life skills and started up an organization called The Ghetto Film Project in 2013.
Filmography
- Crafts: The Value Of Life (2015)
- Silent Depression (2015)
Recognition
Film Festival Nominations
| Film Festivals | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Category | Festival | Result |
| 2015 | Crafts:The Value Of Life | Best Narrative Short Film | Silicon Valley African Film Festival | Nominated |
| 2015 | Crafts:The Value Of Life | Best Short Film (Live Action) | Siffcy | Nominated |
| 2015 | Silent Depression | Best Fiction Film | Luksuz Film Festival | Nominated |
| 2015 | Silent Depression | Best Short Film (Live Action) | Siffcy | Nominated |
| 2016 | Silent Depression | Video Art Award | Zoom International Film Festival | Pending |
Film Festival Selections
| Official Selection | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Festival | Country | |
| 2015 | Crafts:The Value Of Life | Slum Film Festival | Nairobi,Kenya | |
| 2015 | Crafts:The Value Of Life | International Peace And Film Festival | Orlando,FL,USA | |
| 2015 | Crafts:The Value Of Life | FilmAid Film Festival | Nairobi,Kenya | |
| 2015 | Silent Depression | Slum Film Festival | Nairobi,Kenya | |
References
- ↑ Salim, Segawa (December 9, 2013). "Uganda’s Nsamba George Stanley’s Short Film Script Selected By MNet For Production". Urban Hype. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
- ↑ Salim, Segawa (May 26, 2015). "George Stanley Nsamba Shoots Another Short Film". Urban Hype. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
- ↑ Salim, Segawa (June 19, 2015). "Ugandan Film Director Shares His Come-Up Story – It’s Heart-rending". Urban Hype. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
- ↑ http://mak.ac.ug/documents/2010UndergradPrvAdm/SIFA2010.pdf
- ↑ http://urbanhype.net/ugandan-film-director-shares-his-come-up-story-its-heart-rending/
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10593771
- ↑ Saviour, Samuel (February 17, 2015). "CRAFTS "The Value Of Life" Movie Premiere breaks record!". Samuel Saviour. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
- ↑ Salim, Segawa (June 21, 2015). "Here is The ‘Silent Depression’ Short Film That Everybody is Talking About". Urban Hype. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
- ↑ http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFKCN0QU0I220150825
- ↑ http://news.yahoo.com/kenya-film-festival-aims-change-story-slums-064759394.html
- ↑ http://urbanhype.net/ugandas-nsamba-stanleys-short-film-script-selected-by-mnet-for-production/
- ↑ http://bigeye.ug/social-media-awards-nominees-list-out/
- ↑ http://www.plasterlodzki.pl/sztuka/aktualnosci/11935-plastry-kultury-2014-wystawa-roku
- ↑ http://urbanhype.net/nsamba-george-stanley-to-headline-slum-film-festival-workshop-in-nairobi/
- ↑ http://venturesafrica.com/challenging-the-perception-of-slums-the-slum-film-festival/