Uganda Showbiz Latest News and Updates

If elections in Uganda were free and fair, pop star-turned politician Bobi Wine might be president of his country instead of the dictator Yoweri Museveni, who has clung to power for 36 years.

Can music change one country’s destiny? Bobi Wine: The People’s President follows a Ugandan musician who chased his dream and suffered a terrible price. Starting in the country’s musical scene, Wine would quickly establish himself as a major figure; he also realized Uganda’s struggles at the hands of Yoweri Museveni’s regime had to end.

Thomas Rhett and wife Lauren Akins opened up about her “scary” experience with postpartum depression after welcoming their fourth daughter, Lillie.

The U.S. State Department has issued an advisory warning Americans about traveling to Uganda following the passage of a sweeping anti-LGBTQ law. The State Department is advising Americans to reconsider traveling to the East African country due to crime, terrorism threats, and the country’s recently passed Anti-Homosexuality Act. “The May 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act raises the risk that LGBTQI+ persons, and those perceived to be LGBTQI+, could be prosecuted and subjected to life imprisonment or death based on provisions in the law, and may be subject to mandatory reporting to the police if they are suspected of committing or intending to commit acts in violation of the law, and could face harassment or attacks by vigilantes,” the advisory reads.“Supporters of the dignity and human rights of LGBTQI+ persons (including those of youth under the age of 18) could be prosecuted and imprisoned for multi-year sentences,” the advisory warns.

American Family Association publicly attacked U.S. Senator Ted Cruz over the Texas Republican’s opposition to the “Kill the Gays” law in Uganda.

Helen Skelton had her latest move backed by her Strictly Come Dancing dance partner and pal Gorka Marquez as she told fans the exciting news. The presenter, who captures hearts during the BBC One dance contest last year, took to Instagram to detail her latest project.

Helen Skelton is adding another string to her bow - a brand new book! On Tuesday, the 39-year-old expressed her delight over the upcoming release of In My Stride: Taking on Life's Adventures, which will be published by Headline on 12 October.  In My Stride explores the lessons Helen has learned through life and adventure, sharing how getting out in nature and putting one foot in front of the other can help us journey back to ourselves.

Governor Ron DeSantis insists his recent remarks attacking U.S. Senator Ted Cruz should not be viewed as an endorsement of the biblical call for gay people to be executed.

revised version of the bill that rolls back some of its more severe provisions. For instance, under the original version of the legislation, merely identifying as LGBTQ could land someone in prison, while under the new law, only those who engage in same-sex conduct can be prosecuted.The revised version of the bill also rolls back provisions that would have required family, friends, and neighbors to report any suspected same-sex activity, even between consenting adults, to authorities or risk fines and imprisonment.

Ellise Shafer Aubrey “Drake” Graham and Sean “Diddy” Combs have signed on as executive producers of Grammy-nominated rapper French Montana’s documentary “For Khadija,” which is set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 16. Directed by Mandon Lovett, “For Khadija” follows “the unlikely rise of Moroccan-born, multi-platinum recording artist French Montana, as his single mother she sacrifices everything to raise her three young sons in the Bronx, after being abandoned by their father and left destitute,” according to the doc’s official description. “The film spans the globe as it depicts the family’s unique immigrant journey, a son’s perseverance in the face of insurmountable obstacles, and a mother’s unwavering faith — all in pursuit of the American dream.”

Addie Morfoot Contributor “Seven Winters in Tehran,” about a 19-year-old Iranian woman sentenced to death for killing the man who tried to rape her, will open the 34th annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival on May 31 in New York City.The festival, co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the IFC Center, will feature 10 documentaries about humanitarian challenges around the world. This year’s edition spotlights themes and topics including the Ukraine conflict (“When Spring Came to Bucha”), climate gentrification and justice (“Razing Liberty Square”), women’s rights (“Draw Me Egypt”) transgender rights (“Into My Name”) freedom of the press (“The Etilaat Roz”) and access to health care in the United States (“Pay or Die”).“From the war in Ukraine to women’s rights and bodily autonomy, to environmental gentrification and freedom of the press, these films span some of the most pressing human rights issues of our time,” says John Biaggi, director of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival.

Lise Pedersen American director Daniel McCabe and his team have opened up to Variety about the making of “Grasshopper Republic” at Swiss international documentary film fest Visions du Réel, where the pic is nominated in the main competition. Based on a book of photographs by Michele Sibiloni, a photographer and long-time friend of McCabe, who co-shot the film with him and his brother Michael, “Grasshopper Republic” takes viewers on an immersive vérité style journey alongside Uganda’s grasshopper trappers as they set out to make the catch they hope will make them rich: prices and demand for grasshoppers are high in Uganda, where they are considered a delicacy.

EXCLUSIVE: Yellow Veil Pictures and Drafthouse Films have co-acquired North American rights to the documentary Cathryne Czubek’s documentary Once Upon A Time Uganda.

Olympic legend Sir Mo Farah will race in the Great Manchester Run this May for the final time.

The weekend is upon us once again, and with it comes a host of exciting new films and TV shows dropping on streaming services. If you’re gearing up for a good old streaming binge this weekend, Netflix has some great content on offer.

Britain's Got Talent has faced the wrath of some viewers following its return to screens. The hit ITV talent show returned for its 16th series on Saturday night (April 15) before a second helping of auditions aired on Sunday night in a bumper series premiere weekend.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Taskovski Films, the London-based world film sales company, has picked up “Grasshopper Republic,” which will have its world premiere in the International Competition at Visions du Réel documentary festival in Switzerland. Filmed by Daniel McCabe over the course of three seasons in Uganda, “Grasshopper Republic” follows a grasshopper trapping team in verité style as these modern-day prospectors push into remote forests seeking their fortune by capturing this elusive prey. We witness massive generators being hauled up collapsing mudbanks. Light posts are erected with chemically treated bulbs, casting a lurid neon green pall over the tree canopy, irresistibly attracting the swarm to their corrugated iron traps.

Amanda Holden was dubbed “ageless” as she flaunted her flawless figure in a sleek pink minidress following the new season of Britain’s Got Talent. Amanda, who recently put her £5m Surrey home on the market, joined Alesha Dixon, Simon Cowell and Bruno Tonioli on Saturday as the new season of BGT kicked off.The show included a spectacular Ugandan dance troupe called Ghetto Kids, and Alesha even had a blast from the past as she reunited with someone she knew from her days in girl band Miss-Teeq.

The return of Britain’s Got Talent drew around half a million fewer viewers than last year as the show came back on the air for the first time since the pandemic. ITV said the first episode of the 16th series had an average of 5.5 million viewers based on overnight figures.The peak viewing figure of the premiere of the talent show on Saturday at 8 pm was 6.2 million viewers.The broadcaster said it was ITV1’s highest-rated programme of the year based on overnight figures. BGT will air a further episode of auditions on Sunday at 7.45pm.

As Britain’s Got Talent returned to our screens on Saturday night for the 16th series, another exciting batch of contestants were keen to impress the show judges and perhaps win a chance to perform for King Charles at the Royal Variety Performance. Joining the judging panel for this series, was Strictly Come Dancing icon Bruno Tonioli, who took over judging duties from David Walliams.

identifying as any part of our pride rainbow punishable by up to 20 years in prison. As of this writing, it’s not yet been signed into law. The only thing that will stop it is outside pressure.The headline sitting to the right is closer to home: “CPA Condemns Tennessee Bill that Bans Drag Performances.”“‘Adult cabaret performance’ means a performance in a location other than an adult cabaret that features topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest, or similar entertainers, regardless of whether or not performed for consideration,” reads Tennessee Senate Bill 3/House Bill 9.That’s an awful lot of wiggle room to oppress.

A Easter knitting initiative is set to raise more than £40,000 for a children's hospice.

Lise Pedersen Swiss documentary film festival Visions du Réel (VdR) has unveiled the lineup of its 54th edition, which features a broad panorama of both established names and newcomers from around the world. The festival kicks off on April 21 with the world premiere of “Nightwatchers” by Juliette de Marcillac and runs through April 30. The event will screen a total of 163 films from 46 countries, with a 50-50 parity between female and male directors. No fewer than 12 out of 14 films in the main International Competition and 13 out of 15 in the Burning Lights section, the festival sidebar dedicated to new documentary expression, are world premieres, bearing testimony to the fest’s reputation for setting the trend on the global doc scene.

cracking down on homosexuality, essentially making it illegal to identify publicly as LGBTQ — or even express support for the LGBTQ community.The bill builds upon the country’s existing colonial-era laws criminalizing consensual same-sex activity, which is punishable by life imprisonment, targeting a host of free speech-related activities in order to discourage LGBTQ visibility in any form.Under the bill, individuals or institutions that support or fund LGBTQ-related groups or organizations, or publish or distribute pro-gay media or literature, can be prosecuted and imprisoned.Media groups, journalists, and publishers who similarly broadcast or distribute LGBTQ-related content that “promotes homosexuality” also face imprisonment, reports CNN. Property owners can potentially be jailed if they allow their properties to be used as a “brothel,” which is so broadly defined that it can include any gathering space where people are planning or advocating on behalf of the LGBTQ community, or where same-sex sexual activity can potentially take place — regardless of whether such acts actually occur.Cisgender allies of the LGBTQ community can be prosecuted and imprisoned for advocating or expressing support for LGBTQ rights.Friends, family members, and neighbors can also be penalized for failing to inform on individuals they know are engaged in same-sex relationships or LGBTQ advocacy — effectively creating a de facto police state where individual beliefs or free speech rights are under surveillance.The law also imposes the death penalty for those found guilty of “aggravated homosexuality,” a term referring to people who engage in homosexual conduct with another person who cannot or does not consent, or commits such acts under

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is publicly denouncing Uganda’s latest Anti-Homosexuality legislation, which is being called a “Kill the Gays” bill for its capital punishment penalty for “aggravated homosexuality.”The legislation passed in a nearly-unanimous vote and now heads to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni‘s desk.“The Anti-Homosexuality Act passed by the Ugandan Parliament yesterday would undermine fundamental human rights of all Ugandans and could reverse gains in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winner Mahershala Ali is to narrate a natural history series about chimpanzees for Netflix.

A member of Uganda’s Nyege Nyege experimental music collective, Pö – real name Pauline Bedarida – has just released her debut solo album ‘Cociage’.A wildly experimental collection of electronic tracks, all held together by her distinct voice, she described the record to Dazed as sounding like “fishing into a worldwide mycorrhizal-electrical network of sounds crawling in the collective consciousness and fructifying in my mouth as heavily twisted-out-of-shape yet somewhat audible edibles”.Now, that last sentence may not have made any sense to you, but if you listen to the album (which I’m telling you that you should), it will start to become clearer.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Documentary “Bobi Wine: Ghetto President” centers on a man’s pursuit of freedom and justice for his country, but at the film’s heart is a love story. Variety speaks to the filmmakers. The film, directed by Christopher Sharp and Moses Bwayo, and produced by Sharp and Oscar-winner John Battsek, follows the attempt by musician Bobi Wine to topple the repressive regime of Ugandan president, Yoweri Museveni. Sharp has a personal connection to Uganda: both his father and he were born there, and he spent a large part of his childhood in the country. He met Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, in 2017, just after the musician had become a Member of Parliament.

President Museveni has called for doctors to explain why gay people are deviants (Photo: GODL-India)

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Hot Docs, North America’s largest documentary festival, has revealed the first slate of films to screen as part of its Special Presentations program at the 30th edition of the festival, running April 27 to May 7 in Toronto. The Special Presentations program, which features high-profile subjects, award-winning films and filmmakers, and original perspectives on current events and pressing issues, will screen in cinemas across downtown Toronto during the festival. The program covers an extensive array of subjects, from a behind-the-runway look at racial diversity in the fashion industry to a harrowing documentation of the recruitment of child soldiers in Uganda. International premieres include “Black Barbie: A Documentary,” a deep dive into the true story of Black Barbie, from her origins to her contemporary presence; “Food and Country,” New York Times’ food critic Ruth Reichl’s uncovering of our broken food system, and the innovators risking everything to transform it; “Stephen Curry: Underrated,” the story of one of the greatest NBA players working today; and “Periodical,” an eye-opening documentary examining the politics, science, and mystery of the menstrual cycle.

Lise Pedersen Dogwoof has shared with Variety the trailer of “Theatre of Violence,” nominated in main competition at CPH:DOX, the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival, one of Europe’s biggest documentary events. Shot over the course of six years, it follows the trial of Dominic Ongwen, the first former Ugandan child soldier to be convicted and sentenced by the International Criminal Court. Abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group when he was just nine years old, Ongwen became himself a feared rebel commander. He was jailed for 25 years in 2021 on multiple counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including sexual slavery, torture, and rape.

President Ramaphosa awarded President Museveni – dubbed “Africa’s worst homophobe” – the prestigious Order of South Africa this week

Angelique Jackson The eighth annual Icon Mann Honors dinner will salute “The Woman King” filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood, “Sidney” director Reginald Hudlin and Uzodinma Iweala, CEO of the Africa Center NYC and author of the New York Times bestseller “Beasts of No Nation.” Icon Mann partnered with Sony Pictures for the event, which has a “Reimagining African Diasporic Narratives” theme and will take place on Wednesday, March 8 at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills, Calif. The dinner is part of a series of awards week events for Icon Mann, which is a media, production and management consultancy representing African Diasporic heritage. The company is a leading strategic broker for investments and enterprise within creative industries for Hollywood and media-driven African nations, cultivating a global network of creators and leaders focused on “positive narrative representation.”

Patricia Heaton fired back at Don Lemon after his controversial remarks about Republican U.S. Presidential candidate Nikki Haley's age, The 56-year-old host said that 51-year-old Haley was past her "prime" and that "a woman is considered to be in their prime in 20s and 30s and maybe 40s" during a recent episode of "CNN This Morning." On Friday, Heaton, 64, responded to Lemon's comments, which were widely considered sexist and ageist, with a fiery Twitter thread.

In an era filled beyond the brim with scary stories, this still was one of the most terrifying. And now there’s finally some resolution, at least legally… For those who never heard the shocking

An American couple could face the death penalty in Uganda after being accused of abusing a child.