December 15th, Story Leads to Action gathered at 92YTribeca for a work-in-progress screening of Call Me Kuchu, a documentary chronicling the story - at once tragic and hopeful - of a tight-knit community of gay and transgender Ugandans in a country where homosexuality is a crime punishable by life imprisonment.
The work-in-progress screening consisted of five scene selections and threads, each section drawing the audience deeper into the documentary's overall message. The filmmakers were initially drawn to the story after the case of Victor Mukasa, whose home was illegally raided by a government representative in hopes of obtaining information against the LGBT community. Mukasa won the case against the official after the courts declared the illegal raid an act against citizen rights.
The screened selections of Call Me Kuchu demonstrated the large scope of the film, illustrating both the joyful and heartbreaking times--most notably the burial of murdered activist David Kato.
After the screening filmmakers Malika Zouhali-Worrall and Katherine Wright Fairfax were joined by Pierre Bairin, Media Director at Human Rights Watch) Andre Banks Director of Strategy at Purpose and co-founder of All Out, Wade McMullen the Donald M. Wilson fellow at Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, and Spectra Speaks writer and founder of QWOC+ Boston. The discussion was moderated by Peabody-winning filmmaker, educator, environmentalist and co-founder of Chicken & Egg Pictures and Working Films, Judith Helfand.
The panel discussion sought to uncover ways in which to create an engagement plan for Call Me Kuchu, while giving the audience a clearer understanding of the field explored in the film. The discussion served to contextualize the overall political and social climate in Uganda, as well as globally.
According to Pierre Bairin, the job of Human Rights Watch is to harness the power of the image, as a picture is worth a thousand words. Media is powerful and is best used if the multimedia side of research is fully developed. The best way to fully develop the multimedia element of outreach and engagement is to look for synergy between the project and similar issues. He also stated that a film can be so powerful it may backfire... it becomes counterproductive. Therefore, it is important to narrow the message to resonate with the audience.
Human rights lawyer Wade McMullen stated the importance to move towards an overarching goal. He spoke about determining "What is the change you want to see? Who are the targets of this spreading this change? Policymakers, government officials, citizens?" McMullen also stated the importance of supporting change without traditional Western cultural influence.--The matter needs to be more than the West telling the East to change. The Ugandan voices need to be heard..
This discussion regarding Western culture also fit with Andre Banks's concerns. Banks, Director of Strategy at Purpose, discussed the importance to explore the whole issue. One key element of the discussion was the question of the South African influence, as South Africa is recognized as a part of the Western culture. Although sex might be an acceptable topic in South Africa, sexual issues are discussed in Uganda.--This is not limited to LGBT issues. To openly speak about sex is viewed as immoral.
Spectra Speaks, Nigerian afrofeminist writer and founder of Queer Women of Color and Friends Boston, stated the importance for the film to commit to its audience, giving the audience the best and clearest story possible. By committing to the audience, the film has the potential to reach a wider audience than just the initial audience drawn to the subject matter.
Overall, the discussion focused on ways to create a wider audience engagement, with panelists agreeing that to go the "policy route", and screening the film primarily for policymakers and politicians would do a disservice to the film and its message. Once more, the panelists agreed by going for a wider exposure, the film would gain such policymakers while achieving a strong core audience.
The issues brought forth in Call Me Kuchu are ongoing and not limited to Uganda. However, despite the challenges and heartbreak in the film, there is also a sense of joy and hope. Despite tragedies, such as David Kato's death, the human relationships remain important. As Spectra Speaks stated, "there is not a tragic finite ending... people must pick up and continue on in their daily lives and in their causes and issues."
Chicken & Egg Pictures and Working Films would like to thank the filmmakers and panelists for taking part in our December Story Leads to Action screening, as well as all those who took part in the screening and great discussion.
The next Story Leads to Action screening will be February 16th! Be on the look out for more details!
