The evening air in Lungujja carried a quiet anticipation on March 7, 2026. As Kampala prepared to mark International Women’s Day, a different kind of celebration unfolded inside the offices of Reach A Hand Uganda. Instead of speeches and ceremonies alone, the organization chose storytelling. Through film, young women stepped forward to share stories that often remain hidden in everyday conversations.
The Leesu Film Festival gathered young people, advocates, creatives, and partners in a room that soon filled with both curiosity and reflection. The festival formed part of the Leesu Fempower Initiative, a program designed to amplify the voices of young women through creative expression. As the lights dimmed and the first frame appeared on the screen, it became clear that this evening would do more than entertain. It would confront reality.
One by one, six short films revealed pieces of life that many young women experience but rarely have the opportunity to narrate themselves. The films, Village of Echoes by Nadia Mwebe, Dissolved in Sweets by Sandra Agricola, Still Standing by Driberayo Constance, The Get Away by Karungi Sheila, When It’s Me by Joy Athieno, and Chains of His Voice by Nabawanga Olivia—explored themes of resilience, silence, courage, and survival. Each film carried the voice of its creator, and together they painted a portrait of the challenges young women face across communities in Uganda.
Among the stories, two films left a particularly lasting impression on the audience. Dissolved in Sweets drew viewers into the sugarcane fields of Kamuli District in Busoga. At first glance, those fields appear peaceful and familiar. Children chew on sugarcane as they walk home, boda riders pause for shade, and farmers move steadily between the tall green stalks.
However, the film slowly peeled away that comforting image and exposed a hidden reality. Beneath the sweetness of the fields lay a painful truth about violence that often goes unseen. Sandra Agricola, the film’s producer, revealed that the story reflected the experience of one of her own relatives. Through that deeply personal lens, the film transformed from fiction into testimony, reminding the audience that behind many statistics are real lives and real wounds.
While Dissolved in Sweets explored the hidden dangers of rural spaces, The Get Away carried the audience into a different emotional terrain. The film followed a weekend reunion among old friends who gathered expecting laughter and nostalgia. At first, the atmosphere felt warm and familiar, filled with playful memories and the comfort of shared history. Yet as the night unfolded, buried secrets slowly surfaced.
Tension crept into the room as past betrayals and manipulations emerged from the shadows. By morning, the characters faced truths they could no longer ignore. Through this unfolding drama, Karungi Sheila crafted a story about memory, accountability, and the painful but necessary act of confronting the past.
As the audience absorbed these stories, the room shifted from quiet observation to thoughtful discussion. Leaders within Uganda’s creative industry shared reflections on the importance of such storytelling spaces. Humphrey Nabimanya, the CEO of Reach A Hand Uganda, explained that the Leesu project initially focused on highlighting women’s issues broadly.
However, the organization soon realized that the voices of young women themselves often remained absent from those conversations. As a result, the initiative evolved into a platform where young women could tell their own stories rather than have others speak on their behalf. According to Nabimanya, many cases of gender-based violence disproportionately affect young women, and storytelling through film can spark conversations that inspire awareness and action.
The discussion also turned toward the realities of the film industry itself. Jessica Ahibisibwe reminded the aspiring filmmakers in the room that filmmaking demands resilience. She described the journey as one often filled with rejection and uncertainty, yet also rich with opportunity for those who persist. Her message encouraged the young creators to continue building their craft even when the path feels lonely.
At the same time, Nana Kagga offered a reflection that resonated strongly with the audience. She observed that women often bring storytelling perspectives that men cannot easily replicate. Yet despite that strength, the film industry remains largely male-dominated. She therefore urged more women to step into creative leadership and producing roles, emphasizing that the next generation of filmmakers must reshape the industry into a more inclusive space.
The urgency behind these conversations extends far beyond cinema. Across Uganda, many young women continue to navigate challenges surrounding health, rights, and opportunity. National statistics reveal that one in four girls between the ages of fifteen and nineteen is either pregnant or already a mother. Within that context, the stories shown during the Leesu Film Festival carry a deeper meaning.
They represent lived experiences, voices that demand recognition, and a generation determined to shape its own narrative.Before the evening ended, the festival introduced another step toward that vision of empowerment. Reach A Hand Uganda launched the Empowering Her Choice campaign, an initiative designed to increase access to sexual and reproductive health products in a stigma-free environment.
Through the platform Simply Hers, young women can access products such as condoms and lubricants more easily and privately. The campaign reinforced a central message of the evening: information, resources, and open conversations must move together if communities hope to create meaningful change.
As the final conversations unfolded and guests slowly began to leave, the atmosphere in the room carried a sense of quiet transformation. The Leesu Film Festival had not simply screened films; it had opened a space where truth could speak without fear. Through courage and creativity, these young filmmakers reminded everyone present that stories hold power. When young women tell their own stories, they challenge silence, spark dialogue, and begin to reshape the future. And on the eve of International Women’s Day in Kampala, those voices rang out clearly—unfiltered, resilient, and impossible to ignore.
