Oscar-nominated 'Bobi Wine: The People's President' heads back to the box office

ByGeorge Pennacchio KABC logo
Saturday, February 17, 2024
Oscar-nominated documentary 'Bobi Wine' back in theaters
The subjects of the Oscar-nominated documentary "Bobi Wine: The People's President" are talking about their movie and their fight for democracy. Their journey is the film from Uganda to the Oscars!

LOS ANGELES -- Music star Bobi Wine became an activist and opposition leader in Uganda, elected to the country's Parliament in 2017, hoping to oust the regime that's been in place there since Idi Amin was overthrown in 1979. The Oscar-nominated documentary "Bobi Wine: The People's President" follows his journey, with his wife, Barbie, by his side. Together, they are still fighting for democracy against what they believe is a very corrupt government.

When the documentary cameras went away, the problems did not.

"The action continued in even graver ways," Wine said, stressing the oppression, the abductions and the atrocities are still happening. "So the situation is more of the same or even more grave."

"I draw my bravery from him because for him to wake up and face the same tribulations every day with a smile and with his strength, which I want to know where he draws from, just challenges me to do my part," said Wine's wife, Barbie Kyagulanyi,

When it comes to smiling in the face of what's happening in Uganda, Wine explained, "We smile because we are alive."

"Barbie and I have decided to celebrate every day that we live because we don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. But for as long as we still smile, as long as we still have our teeth, as long as we still have each other, we have every reason to smile," he said.

This documentary, which heads back into theaters this weekend, also heads to The Oscars next month as a nominee. Kyagulanyi said Hollywood knows how to shine a light on the stories of the world.

Sandy Kenyon has the story.

"We are here because there is a story that affects the whole world in general. You can see the rest of the world through our story. You can see how delicate democracy is," she said.

I interviewed the couple earlier this week, on Bobi's 42nd birthday. It's something he felt was worth noting.

"I'm excited to have lived to be an old man," Wine said. "I come from a country where more than 85% are younger than the age of 35. So back home, I am an elder. And I celebrate that," he said.

On this President's Day weekend, "Bobi Wine: The People's President" is in theaters and still streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

Disney is the parent company of this station.

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