Kennedy Kihire’s Watch over me was Uganda’s lone representative

Last month, the forth Luxor Africa Film festival (LAFF) was held in Egypt. The event that attracted over forty African countries was spread onto four days from 16 – 21, where workshops in editing script writing and directing were held.
Lined up under the Short Films are 17 movies of which the 19 minutes Watch Over Me is a Ugandan one directed by Kennedy Kihire.
The sad family story features Christie getting to know that she was adopted during her childhood, she runs away from home feeling that her so-called parents have been lying to her for a long time. While her guardian family starts to look for her, Christie goes into too many troubles.
Kihire is mostly known for films like the award winning Hangout, Swapped, Gotto, Breaking the Mesh, as well as his television directorial debut on NTV’s The Hostel.
Some of the other short movies are “City Drop out” –Rwanda; “Malakia Job”-Sudan; “Warda”- Tunisia; “Moment” -Egypt; “forbidden Fruit”-Morocco; “Motherland”-Senegal; “Matanga”-Congo; “Fish of the Land”-Tanzania.
Sponsored by Qaala Holdings, an African infrastructure developing industry, LAFF is looking at helping African tell their own stories as well as collaborate on projects.
An overwhelmed Kihire noted that it is humbling that his film would get recognition at an international festival. This comes just days after it was confirmed that Boda Boda Theives, another local film will be showcased at the Durban International Film Festival later this year.
Kennedy Kihire graduated with an Arts Degree at Makerere University in English Literature and social Anthropology.
After writing Swapped film script, he was selected as a finalist to participate in the Maisha Annual Film lab 2010 where he became a Production Manager for the film Black Hill and later Guardian Angel and Shop Girl with Akan productions.
He Produced and Directed Swapped in February 2011. In November 2011, he worked as an Assistant Director of Everyday People, Cybervision’s latest feature film.
In early February 2012, he directed Makerere University’s 45 minutes student film Breaking The Meshafter winding up his degree.
He was Assistant Director on the 2011 prize winning short film. He has adapted the Julius Ocwinyo’s novel Fate of The Banished for the screen. In 2013, he has assistant directed a short film The Present.
His just completed production for his latest film New Intensions which boosts of a very artistic cast of Ife Piankhi, Prynce Joel Okuyo, Sinovella Night and John Muganza among others.