AP News, February 17th, 2007
Oscar-nominated actor Forest Whitaker is in Uganda on Saturday for the local premiere of "The Last King of Scotland" in which he portrays brutal dictator Idi Amin, who seized power in the African nation in 1971 and was responsible for the disappearance of more than 500,000 people.
President Yoweri Museveni will attend the premiere Saturday night, along with the film's director Kevin Macdonald and co-star James McAvoy.
They will walk the red carpet into Kampala's Cineplex cinema _ a humble establishment by Hollywood standards located on the top floor of a shopping mall in the city center.
"The Last King of Scotland" is the first Hollywood movie to be filmed on location in the East African country and won best British film at the British Academy Film Awards.
Though it has yet to be released in Africa, it has swept awards and been a surprise box office smash in North America and Europe. The film deals with the fictional relationship between Amin and his Scottish doctor, James Garrigan, during the darkest years of Amin's eight-year rule.
Human rights groups estimate that up to 500,000 people disappeared under Amin's regime. His secret police force was accused of torturing and killing Ugandans they believed to be political opponents.
Many Ugandans are eagerly awaiting the general release of the film slated for later this month. Ishmail Ssemamba, who runs a movie rental kiosk in one of Kampala's suburbs, says he has been inundated by queries about the film.
"People remember when the filming was happening in the city so now they want to see the film," he said. "I watched them filming some scenes and Whitaker was exactly like Amin. What was good is that he made him into a human being, not just a monster. Amin cared about Uganda and Ugandans. He did many good things for our country but people just remember the blood."
Whitaker is nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Amin and has won resounding critical acclaim for blending the tyrant's cruel tendencies with a warm and charismatic personality. He also won the best actor prize at the British Academy Film Awards.
Local print media, though, have devoted very little time and space to the film's grand opening.
"Part of the problem is that they have taken an African story and handled it in a Hollywood manner," says Robert Kabushenga, managing editor of the government newspaper, The New Vision.
"It is designed for Western audiences and has not been marketed for Ugandans. The actors have come to Uganda just to endorse the movie, not to involve the country in the film. Even while they were filming here, it was a very exclusive club," Kabushenga said.
