Kasule Douglas Benda
On Sunday night, while many Ugandans were fast asleep, Africa’s biggest celebration of cinematic excellence, the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAAs), was taking place. Often referred to as the “African Oscars,” the 2025 edition was a particularly proud moment for Uganda, with several nominations across different categories.
One of the standout Ugandan contenders was Small Gods, a film from Western Uganda that had garnered an impressive nine nominations, making it one of the most anticipated films of the night.
When the winners were finally announced, Uganda took home one major award and it was a pleasantly unexpected victory. Chimpaye Florence Mariserena, the lead actress in Small Gods, won Best Actress in a Leading Role (2025).
What makes her achievement even more remarkable is that Small Gods marks Florence’s first-ever film appearance. Director Asher Rosen, in his reaction, praised her natural talent, saying:
“She is the source of our story. We met her on the first day of castings, and even though we saw another 900 people, she remained the most powerful.”
The director (Asher Rosen) and the assistant director (Ezra Mugisha) attended the awards and received the accolade on behalf of Florence who was not able to travel to Nigeria for the award gala. This win is a milestone for Florence but also proof of the growing strength of Uganda’s film industry.
Congratulations to Chimpaye Florence Mariserena, the Small Gods team, and all the Ugandan filmmakers who represented the country at the AMAAs 2025!
When I asked about when the film will be premiering in Uganda, I was told that it is still on a global film festival circuit and then they will communicate the next plans.
#MakingUgFilmsFamous
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I’m a professional performing artist, an acting coach, film director, actors’ agent and more.
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