EXCLUSIVE: National Geographic Documentary Films is bringing Bobi Wine: The People’s President back to the big screen in some major markets Friday for President’s Day weekend.
The film follows Bobi Wine, the Ugandan opposition leader, former member of parliament, activist and national superstar musician during the country’s 2021 presidential elections where he risks his life to fight the ruthless regime led by Yoweri Museveni. Museveni has been in power since 1986 and changed Uganda’s constitution to enable him to run for yet another five-year term.
The film will play New York, LA, Chicago, Memphis, New Jersey, San Francisco and Washington D.C., rolling out in additional markets on subsequent weekends.
It debuted in theaters on July 28, and premiered on Disney+ and Hulu Oct 6.
Deadline’s review called it an “exceptional feat” by Ugandan-born director Moses Bwayo and Christopher Sharp “to make an international audience care so deeply about a place that’s typically ignored by the world’s news media.”
Bobi Wine, produced by John Battsek with Bwayo and Sharp premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival to exceptional review and collected nominations and awards, including being namd Best Documentary by the International Documentary Association (IDA) and the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature at the Hamptons Film Festival. It screened at Telluride and BFI London International Film Festival.
“Many Ugandans already refer to Bobi as Mr. President, so this is a truly fitting weekend for audiences around the country to be able to see the film again in theaters and learn more about Uganda’s desire for true democracy. Sharing this film with the largest audience possible sheds ever more light on the situation in Uganda, and the fight for freedom and democracy around the world. It also ensures a spotlight on Bobi, his family and his supporters, enabling their safety and security as they face continued threats of violence from the Museveni regime,” said co-directors Bwayo and Sharp.
Born in the slums of Kampala, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, famously known as Bobi Wine, is a musician turned politician, who is the current leader of the National Unity Platform (NUP) and the People Power Movement. He has campaigned for hospital sanitization, malaria prevention, refugees’ rights and children’s education. His songs are peaceful protests, focusing on the struggles of Uganda’s underprivileged and low-income earners and calling upon young people to become politically active.
Initial theaters: Los Angeles – AMC Burbank 8, Laemmle Monica Film Center; New York – AMC Empire 25; New Jersey – Clairidge Cinemas in Montclair; Chicago – AMC River East 21; Memphis – Malco Studio on the Square; San Francisco – Presidio Theatre; Washington, D.C. – AMC Hoffman Center 22.