32 Facts About Usama Mukwaya

Usama "Osam" Nyanzi Mukwaya was born on December 12,1989 and is a Ugandan screenwriter, film director, producer, actor and former television host.

Usama Mukwaya has received several accolades, including nominations for an Ama Award and three Amvca Awards.

Usama Mukwaya launched his filmmaking career with the short film Hello, which won overall best film in the 2010 MNFPAC Students Awards.

From 2018 to 2022, Usama served as chief content officer for Stream Afrique, a subscription-based streaming platform that offers online streaming of majorly African content.

Usama Mukwaya is credited as the producer of the 2023 inaugural IKON Awards and the follow-up 2nd and 3rd editions, the earlier of which marked his first "live" television production.

Usama Mukwaya is an executive member of Uganda Film Network and a 2019 recipient of the LeO Africa Institute's Young Emerging Leaders Project Fellowship.

Usama Mukwaya is the son of religious leader Abdullah Mukwaya and Aziidah Mariam.

Usama Mukwaya has four siblings from his mother and numerous from his father.

Usama Mukwaya started pre-education at Saidat Aisha Nursery School and later at Buraaq Infants School, then in Bwaise.

In 2002, Usama Mukwaya joined Shuhada'e Islamic Secondary School for his O-Level and achieved his Advanced Certificate of Education from Nyamitanga Secondary School, both schools in Mbarara.

Usama Mukwaya was reported in 2019 to be pursuing a Diploma in Business Administration at Cavendish University.

Usama Mukwaya made his film industry entry in 2009 through Dan Kiggundu's Maryland Productions, where he debuted as a script editor and supporting actor in the TV drama Pain of Lies, which premiered in 2011.

Usama Mukwaya went on to participate in the program's second season with his short film In Just Hours, emerging as the season's winner for best short film director.

Usama Mukwaya has worked as a general secretary and treasurer of the Screenwriter's Guild of Uganda Film Network and as general secretary of the Pearl International Film Festival before being appointed festival programmer for the 7th, 8th, and 9th editions consecutively.

In late 2011, Usama Mukwaya won the Young Achievers Award in the film and television category.

Usama Mukwaya was the youngest among the recipients of the award in the newly introduced category, alongside Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who received the lifetime achievement award.

On March 25,2012, Usama Mukwaya was quoted by The Observer alongside Ashraf Ssemwogerere in an interview about naming the growing film industry in Uganda, in which he stated that Ugawood could have been the appropriate name, citing that Kinna-Uganda had to do with mediocrity.

In July 2014, Usama Mukwaya started his own film production company, O Studios Entertainment, based in Uganda, that immediately opened with the production of the short film, Tiktok, written and directed by himself.

Immediately after Maisha Film Lab in 2011, Usama Mukwaya met video director Lukyamuzi Bashir of Badi Films and began working on Bala Bala Sese, marking his first feature film as a producer and writer.

Loukman announced in October 2021 that a feature film based on the Sixteen Round's story was in the making and Usama Mukwaya would be producing it, but it was later cancelled.

In 2023, Usama Mukwaya produced Nambi, an adaptation of a Ugandan folk tale called Kintu, written and directed by Peter Mikiibi and coproduced by Dennis Arthur Abwakat.

In July 2013, Usama Mukwaya made his television hosting debut on the second season of the Movie Digest Show on Record TV Network Uganda, with actress Monica Birwinyo replacing pioneer host and former Tusker Project Fame 3 contestant Jacob Nsaali.

Previously, Usama Mukwaya had worked on the show as a producer.

In mid-2018, Usama Mukwaya joined the production of Reach a Hand Uganda's television drama Kyaddala as a producer, his debut television drama series, with Humphrey Nabimanya as executive producer and Emmanuel Ikubese as the show's creator.

Kyaddala Season 2 premiered again on NBS TV on March 4,2022, with Usama Mukwaya producing and directing the entire season.

In July 2020, Usama Mukwaya joined the production of the first season of MultiChoice Uganda' original TV series, Sanyu.

On October 18,2022, Usama Mukwaya was named as the producer of the inaugural edition of The iKON Awards: Film and Television which happened on March 25,2023.

Usama Mukwaya returned as the show producer again on the second edition in 2024 and is set to return for the third edition in 2025.

Usama Mukwaya began his philanthropic work in January 2015 with Empowerment of Disadvantaged Youth and Children when he traveled to Tororo in eastern Uganda to share life experiences.

The Usama Mukwaya Scholarship is an annual merit-based scholarship offered by Usama to support outstanding, collaborative, rising Ugandan creatives in an innovative one-year film and theatre experience.

Usama Mukwaya has received numerous awards and nominations, including a nomination at the 12th Africa Movie Academy Awards for Best Film in an African Language Film for his film Bala Bala Sese.

Usama Mukwaya received two nominations for Best Scripted M-Net Original and Best M-Net Original at the 2024 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards for the film The Passenger.