The Uganda Film Festival has unveiled its 2026 nomination list, and the industry is buzzing. With categories spanning Best Feature Film to Best Animation, this year’s slate reflects a film ecosystem firing on all cylinders, from polished studio productions to raw regional debuts.
Three titles have emerged as the clear frontrunners heading into the ceremony.
You May Kiss the Bride Goodbye leads the pack with nominations across Best Feature Film, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Actor (Fidel Sankara), Best Actress (Mbabazi Catherine Uwera), Best Director (Ssentongo Marvin Rain), Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Best Post-Production, and Best Viewer’s Choice, making it arguably the most-nominated film of this cycle.
Adui and Small Gods are not far behind. Adui picks up nods in Best Feature Film, Best Cinematography, Best Film in Indigenous Language, Best Director (Ayeny T. Steve), and Best Screenplay, among others, while Small Gods, directed by Chimpaye Florence Mariserena, earns recognition for Best Screenplay, Best Original Soundtrack, Best Production Design, Best Animation, and a Best Actress nomination for its lead Chimpaye Florence Mariserena herself.
“This year’s list is proof that Ugandan stories told in Ugandan voices are ready for the world.”
Best Feature Film
AduiYou May Kiss the Bride GoodbyeLonging to BelongMaama WangeWaka Waka
Best Director
Drake MakangaAyeny T. SteveMariam Ndagire KizitoSsentongo Marvin RainMasadde Isaa Yusuf
Best Actress in a Feature
Mbabazi Catherine UweraJackline KatusiimeIrene EnyeguNakakeeto ImmaculateChimpaye Florence Mariserena
Best Actor in a Feature
Fidel SankaraMichael Wawuyo Jr.Mushikoma Daniel PapaOlot Bonny OlemTurinayo Jothan
Best East African Film
Shiku (Kenya)Bobo (Kenya)Nana (Tanzania)Peremende (Kenya)Zahma — The Struggle (Kenya)
Best International Film
Safari (Kenya)Eugene O’Neill’s The First Man (UK)In Other Words (Iran)Nelson Mandela: The Man Behind the Legend (Russia)My Father (Mauritius)
The TV drama race is equally competitive. Choices, Ties That Bind Us, and Damalie split nominations across Best TV Drama Series, Best Actor, Best Actress, and supporting categories. Diana Kahunde (Choices) and Mirembe Doreen (Damalie) headline the Best Actress in a TV Drama/Series category.
One of the most anticipated reveals is Best Rising Star, where Katushabe Jovian Ann (Maama Wange) and Yomcwiny Emily (Adui) are tipped as strong contenders. The category spotlights fresh faces making an immediate impact on local screens.
The Best Regional Film category celebrates stories from across Uganda’s four regions, with Borrowed Womb representing the East, No/Needa the Central Region, Kabwondera the West, and No Safe Place to Call Home (Te Okono) flying the flag for the North.
Animation also gets its moment, with Amara and the Spirit of Nyamagunda, Queen Kitami, and the beloved Who Killed Captain Alex? among the five titles vying for Best Animation — a testament to the growing ambition of Uganda’s visual storytelling scene.
