The Oscar nominations have been announced and in a shocking turn of events, five internationally focused documentaries have been nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category, including the Bobi Wine-focused documentary by National Geographic.
The documentary called Bobi Wine: The People’s President focuses on Uganda’s Wine, a former pop star who ran for president against, Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power since 1986.
Although the film is fronted by National Geographic, the film was directed by Ugandan natives Moses Bwayo and Christopher Sharp.
This is the first Oscar nomination for Bwayo and Sharp.
The nomination comes days after the documentary won the ‘Audience Choice Award’ at the Cinema Eye Honors 2024 Awards held in January, at the New York Academy of Medicine in East Harlem.
Bobi Wine reacted to the news by saying, “It is such a humbling moment to see the Ugandan story make it to the Academy Awards- the most prestigious and significant awards in the world.
Today the fight for democracy in Uganda and around the world lives on. Thank you for this recognition!”
The film, which was released in 2022, details how Wine has risked his life to fight the ruthless regime led by Yoweri Museveni.
It showcases how he takes on the country’s police and military, which are not afraid to use violence and torture in a vain attempt to intimidate and silence him and his supporters.
The documentary was nominated alongside The Eternal Memory, Four Daughters, To Kill a Tiger, and 20 Days in Mariupol.
