The
riveting
documentary,
Bobi
Wine:
The
People’s
President,
delves
into
the
tumultuous
2021
presidential
election
in
Uganda,
capturing
the
fearless
efforts
of
music
star,
activist,
and
opposition
leader
Bobi
Wine.
The
film,
available
for
streaming
on
Disney+
and
Hulu,
offers
a
gripping
narrative
of
Bobi
Wine’s
perilous
journey
as
he
rallies
against
the
oppressive
35-year
regime
led
by
President
Museveni.
Born
in
the
slums
of
Kampala,
Bobi
Wine
emerges
as
a
national
superstar
musician,
activist,
and
opposition
leader.
Faced
with
the
ruthless
regime
of
President
Museveni,
who
has
maintained
power
since
1986,
Bobi
Wine,
along
with
his
wife
Barbie,
embarks
on
a
dangerous
mission
to
liberate
Uganda
from
oppression.
The
2021
presidential
elections
become
a
battleground
where
Bobi
Wine
employs
his
music
to
denounce
the
dictatorial
regime
and
champion
the
cause
of
the
voiceless
and
oppressed.
Directors
Christopher
Sharp
and
Moses
Bwayo
share
their
journey
of
documenting
Bobi
Wine’s
life
and
activism.
Originally
conceived
as
a
film
about
a
socially
conscious
musician,
the
project
evolved
into
a
powerful
portrayal
of
Bobi
and
Barbie’s
courage
in
challenging
a
regime
deeply
entrenched
in
power.
The
film,
infused
with
Bobi
Wine’s
music,
serves
as
a
testament
to
the
genuine
spirit
of
those
fighting
for
freedom.
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The
directors
express
their
intent
to
create
an
authentic
representation
of
Uganda’s
struggles,
focusing
on
the
raw
and
genuine
spirit
of
the
inspiring
individuals
involved.
The
film
captures
the
dangers,
unpredictability,
and
sacrifices
encountered
by
Bobi
Wine
and
his
supporters
in
their
quest
for
justice.
In
an
interview
with
The
Source
Magazine,
co-directors
Christopher
Sharp
and
Moses
Bwayo
shed
light
on
their
personal
connections
with
Uganda,
their
inspiration
to
tell
Bobi
Wine’s
story,
and
the
challenges
of
capturing
the
unfolding
events
in
a
volatile
environment.
Having
been
born
in
Uganda,
you
both
have
personal,
but
presumably
also
very
different
connections
with
the
country.
What
inspired
you
to
tell
the
story
of
Bobi
Wine?
How
did
you
and
Moses
meet,
and
what
individual
perspectives
and
experiences
did
each
of
you
bring
to
the
project?
When
I
first
met
Bobi
and
Barbie
in
Europe
in
2017,
I
was
already
a
devotee
of
Bobi’s
music.
I
had
a
strong
connection
with
the
country
through
my
family
and
childhood,
so
I
understood
some
of
the
challenges.
When
Bobi
and
Barbie
started
telling
me
their
story
and
explained
what
they
were
trying
to
do,
I
found
them
totally
compelling.
They
were
both
articulate,
charming
and,
above
all,
brave.
Barbie
had
grown
up
in
the
same
region
of
Uganda
as
I
had,
so
we
had
some
shared
memories.
When
we
first
started
shooting,
we
had
a
very
accomplished
DOP
called
Sam
Benstead
and
an
Italian,
Michele
Sibiloni.
They
were
both
living
in
Kampala
at
the
time.
I
was
introduced
to
Moses,
and
he
gradually
took
over
from
them.
Moses
proved
to
be
totally
dedicated
to
the
project.
He
repeatedly
put
himself
in
danger
to
stay
close
to
Bobi
as
the
situation
became
increasingly
volatile.
Moses,
particularly
towards
the
end,
was
the
one
filming
on
the
frontline,
which
allowed
me
to
focus
on
the
narrative,
deciding
what
we
needed
and
how
it
might
look.
We
worked
very
well
together,
and
even
when
not
physically
together,
we
would
be
on
the
phone
all
day.
What
role
does
Bobi
Wine’s
music
play
in
his
life
story
and
his
political
engagement,
and
how
did
you
incorporate
his
music
into
the
structure
of
your
film?
Bobi
uses
his
music
as
a
means
to
communicate
with
the
people.
He
originally
sang
about
life,
girls
and
subjects
that
a
young
musician
would
typically
draw
inspiration
from.
This
changed
as
Bobi
felt
compelled
to
articulate
the
injustices
he
was
witnessing
in
Uganda.
As
the
government
became
increasingly
nervous
about
Bobi’s
popularity,
it
tried
to
stop
his
audience
from
hearing
his
music.
They
banned
concerts
and
prohibited
radio
stations
from
playing
his
songs.
However,
music
is
a
very
difficult
thing
to
stop.
Amusingly,
Bobi
once
told
me
that
Museveni
hands
out
money
to
his
oppressed
people
to
buy
their
support,
and
they
use
the
money
to
buy
beer
and
then
listen
to
his
music!
Working
with
Paul
Carlin,
our
editor,
we
started
to
think
about
the
structure
of
the
film.
We
knew
music
had
to
be
central
to
the
story.
It
is
central
to
Bobi’s
life.
Much
of
Bobi’s
message
is
delivered
through
the
lyrics
of
his
songs,
so
we
had
to
do
the
same
with
the
film.
What
were
the
biggest
challenges
of
filming
Bobi
Wine
as
he
moved
around
Uganda,
especially
when
events
sometimes
turned
violent?
Was
it
difficult
to
choose
which
scenes
to
insert,
and
was
there
a
limit
to
what
you
thought
you
could
or
should
show
on
screen?
We
filmed
horrific
violence,
stories
of
individuals
who
had
been
tortured
in
what
can
only
be
described
as
medieval
methods.
We
spoke
to
people
whose
loved
ones
had
disappeared.
Originally,
we
thought
we
would
include
more
of
these
interviews
in
the
film.
We
had
limited
time
and
ended
up
focusing
on
experiencing
the
story
through
our
main
characters.
However,
it
is
hard
not
to
feel
like
it
is
something
of
an
injustice
to
the
victims
not
to
include
them.
Certainly,
both
Bobi
and
Moses
felt
that
the
film
doesn’t
convey
the
extent
of
the
horror,
although
they
fully
understand
the
rationale
behind
that
choice.
You
must
have
shot
a
wealth
of
material.
How
did
the
editing
process
develop,
and
what
led
you
to
focus
on
the
characters
we
see
in
the
film?
We
shot
literally
hundreds
of
hours
of
footage.
We
were
in
the
cutting
room
for
two
years.
We
had
an
exceptional
editor,
Paul
Carlin,
as
mentioned
before;
he
was
incredibly
patient.
Our
big
struggle
was
how
to
cover
five
years
of
filming
and,
as
is
often
the
case,
deciding
which
stories
were
central
to
the
narrative.
We
ended
up
focusing
on
Bobi
and
Barbie
and
those
closest
to
them.
In
the
Global
North,
Africa
is
often
not
given
the
attention
and
importance
it
deserves
in
terms
of
its
size,
population,
diversity
and
vitality.
How
difficult
was
it
to
secure
the
resources
you
needed
to
produce
the
film?
The
film
was
self-financed,
which
was
obviously
a
great
risk.
We
were
extremely
fortunate
to
have
John
Battsek
as
a
producer.
He
has
great
experience
and
recognizes
the
importance
of
the
story.
He
could
not
have
been
more
insightful
and
helpful.
As
we
were
making
the
film,
we
recognized
that
we
had
this
important
story
with
amazing
characters
and
we
were
determined
to
make
sure
that
people
were
able
to
see
the
film.
We
are
grateful
to
National
Geographic
for
being
our
distribution
partner.
They
believe
in
the
strength
of
the
film
and
the
heroism
of
its
message
and
believe
in
the
power
of
storytelling
to
generate
conversation
and
hopefully
change
in
an
African
country
that
so
desperately
needs
it.
What
would
you
like
viewers
to
take
away
from
the
experience
of
watching
the
film?
People
in
the
West
often
marvel
that
Africa
has
made
such
little
progress.
The
answer
is
clear;
it
is
dictatorships
that
stop
progress.
How
far
would
our
own
societies
get
economically;
how
would
our
healthcare
be;
how
would
our
education
system
be
if
we
had
a
ruler
who,
by
his
own
omission,
is
working
for
his
family
and
stays
in
power
for
35
years
and
counting?
Western
governments
are
completely
complicit
in
maintaining
dictatorship
in
Uganda.
I
would
like
our
audience
to
question
their
own
government’s
financing
of
dictatorial
regimes.
Watch
the
trailer
below.
