Nabwana I.G.G.

Nabwana Isaac Godfrey Geoffrey (IGG) produces, directs, shoots, writes, and edits action films from his home in the slums of Wakaliga, Uganda.

A self-taught filmmaker, IGG's film education consists of one course in computer repair (he was forced to drop out after the first month due to lack of funds) and his own trial-and-error experiences with cameras and editing equipment. He began filmmaking at age 32, just after the birth of his first child.

While supporting himself and his family as a school teacher, IGG founded Ramon Film Productions (the name is derived from his grandmothers, Rachel and Monica, who raised him and saw the family safely thru Uganda's civil war). Based in the small home he shares with his wife and co-editor, Harriet, and their three children. RFP has produced over 44 feature films since 2005 (as of Jan 2015) and is best-known for Who Killed Captain Alex: Uganda First Action-packed Movie and Tebaatusasula. Trailers for IGG's work have gone viral, but the films themselves remain largely unseen outside the slums surrounding Kampala, Uganda.

IGG shoots his films in Luganda, the dialect of Buganda, Uganda's largest tribe. As is the common in the ghettos of Uganda, his films are presented with a live Video Jockey (VJ), best described as part-narrator, cheerleader, comedian, and slum tour guide.

"Wakaliwood" is a combination of Wakaliga, the slum IGG calls home, and Hollywood. Over the years, IGG has assembled a dedicated team of actors, technicians, prop masters, martial artists, and stunt people who have traveled from all parts of Uganda to be part of his action films. When not shooting, they meet twice a week to rehearse, develop new projects, build equipment out of scrap metal, and distribute DVDs in the local markets. Surprisingly, IGG Nabwana himself has never been to a movie theater.

Selected credits: Who Killed Captain Alex: Uganda's First Action-packed Movie; Bukunja Tekunja Mitti: The Cannibals; Rescue Team; The Return of Uncle Benon; and a lost film, Tebaatusasula. Upcoming projects include Captain Alex 2: The Tiger Mafia; Ugandan Ninja; Bad Black, inspired by the controversial life of the Ugandan socialite and ex-con; and Plan 9 From Uganda, a cannibal-zombie-action film.