Still from Call Me Kuchu
Still from Call Me Kuchu
 

On Demand

Call me Kuchu

by Katherine Fairfax Wright & Malika Zouhali-Worrall
A powerful look at the courageous LGBTQ activists in Uganda, including murdered activist David Kato.
2012  ·  1h27m  ·  Uganda, United States
English
About the Film
In an unmarked office at the end of a dirt track, veteran activist David Kato labors to repeal Uganda’s homophobic laws and liberate his fellow lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender men and women, or “kuchus.” But David’s formidable task just became much more difficult. A new “Anti-Homosexuality Bill” proposes death for HIV-positive gay men, and prison for anyone who fails to turn in a known homosexual. Inspired by American evangelicals who have christened Uganda ground zero in their war on the “homosexual agenda,” the Bill awaits debate in Uganda’s Parliament. Meanwhile, local newspapers have begun outing kuchus with vicious fervor under headlines such as: “HOMO TERROR! We Name and Shame Top Gays in the City.” David, Uganda’s first openly gay man, is one of the few who dare to publicly protest state-sanctioned homophobia. Working with an idiosyncratic clan of fellow activists, David fights Uganda’s government and tabloids in the courts, on television, and at the United Nations. Because, he insists, “if we keep on hiding, they will say we’re not here.” David, Uganda’s first openly gay man, is one of the few who dare to publicly protest state-sanctioned homophobia. Working with an idiosyncratic clan of fellow activists, David fights Uganda’s government and tabloids in the courts, on television, and at the United Nations. Because, he insists, “if we keep on hiding, they will say we’re not here.” But one year into filming CALL ME KUCHU and just three weeks after a landmark legal victory, on January 26, 2011, the unthinkable happens: David is brutally murdered in his home. His death sends shock waves around the world, and leaves Kampala’s kuchus traumatized and seeking answers for a way forward. With unprecedented access, CALL ME KUCHU depicts the last year in the life of a courageous, quick-witted and steadfast man whose wisdom and achievements were not fully recognized until after his death. While heartbreaking, the documentary traces a narrative that takes the viewer beyond the chronicle of victimization depicted in international news media: it tells the nuanced story of David and Kampala’s kuchus as they work to change their fate, and that of other kuchus across Africa. A story told in his words, David Kato’s final testimony lives on in this film, while his work is continued by the fellow activists he left behind.
Upcoming Screenings

Stay tuned for upcoming screenings!

Festivals and Awards
2012
African Film Festival of Verona, Italy, Official Selection
2012
Århus Film Festival, Denmark, Official Selection
2012
WatchDocs Film Festival, Warsaw, Poland, Official Selection
2012
Human Rights Watch Film Festival, Nairobi, Kenya, Official Selection
2012
Mezipatra Queer Film Festival, Prague, Czech Republic, Official Selection
2012
Homotopia Festival – Picturehouse At Fact, Liverpool, UK, Official Selection
2012
Philadelphia Film Festival, USA, Official Selection
2012
Ottawa LGBT Film Festival, Ottawa, Canada, Official Selection
2012
Pink Screens Queer Film Festival, Brussels, Belgium, Official Selection
2012
Paris Lesbian & Feminist Film Festival, Paris, France, Official Selection
2012
LesGaiCineMad, Madrid’s International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Madrid, Spain, Official Selection
2012
Side by Side LGBT International Film Festival, St. Petersburg, Russia, Official Selection
2012
Outrageous: Santa Barbara LGBTQ Film Festival, Santa Barbara, CA, Official Selection
2012
Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival, USA, Official Selection
2012
Austin Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Austin, Texas, Official Selection
2012
Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF), Official Selection
2012
Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Florida, Official Selection
2012
Tri Continental Human Rights Film Festival, Johannesburg/Tshwane/Pretoria, Official Selection
2012
The First Official Ugandan LGBT Pride, Kampala, Uganda, Official Selection
2012
Rio Film Festival/Festival do Rio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Official Selection
In the Press
Review
Time Out
Review
Variety
Review
The New York Times
Editor
Katherine Fairfax Wright
Cinematographer
Katherine Fairfax Wright
Producer
Malika Zouhali-Worral
Soundtrack Composer
Jon Mandabach
Writer
Katherine Fairfax Wright & Malika Zouhali-Worral

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