This is Wakaliwood | Explorer
[music playing]
BILLIE MINTZ: I came here to meet an extraordinary man whose vision stretches far beyond himself. This is Isaac Nabawana. OK. Action. Action. Action.
BILLIE MINTZ: He's committed to changing the country's image by making incredibly violent action films that are intended to knock you dead with laughter. He's a self-taught filmmaker and Uganda's most prolific, having made over 50 feature films. And he's turned a few square blocks of his neighborhood into a fully functional studio back lot. This is impossible. This should not exist. I mean, you see, like there's no plumbing. Electricity was good for a while but now it's still four days a week maybe. And making movies. [beep] it's not possible. OK, action.
BILLIE MINTZ: Alan Hofmanis is a super fan who saw one of Isaac's films in a Brooklyn bar one night and immediately got on a plane to Uganda to meet the genius behind it. He never left, eventually becoming Isaac's co-producer. I think people are coming for the same reason that I'm saying. This reminds people of why they love movies in the first place. Like I'm not an actor, but you're here for 5 minutes and you want to do it. You want to be a commando. You want to play.
BILLIE MINTZ: The most obvious theme in all of Isaac's movies is brutal violence taken to comedic extremes. [cheering] And that's exactly the point, violence as an artistic expression, Isaac believes, is not only his creative passion but also his country's salvation. You want to clear the picture of Ugandans killing people by making films of Ugandans killing people?
BILLIE MINTZ: Isaac's over-the-top filmmaking style strikes a chord here, driving modest movie ticket and DVD sales, which the actors are also able to sell door to door, thereby supporting the crew and their families. And Isaac isn't just a local celebrity, he's an international phenomenon with millions of hits on YouTube to confirm his intensely devoted fan base. [singing]
BILLIE MINTZ: Even more devoted are the people who come from all over Uganda to help create his micro low budget full length films. [applause] Wow, guys, this is so impressive. Any filmmaker in the world, no matter how successful they are, would dream to have a team like you guys. [applause]