We train filmmakers by
making films.
Kampala Film School is a specialist film school in Uganda, affiliated with Kampala University. We teach filmmaking as a craft.
Students work with professional equipment from the beginning. They shoot on location, work in crews, cut in the edit suite, record and mix sound, grade colour, and finish films. They learn the craft through production.
The aim is simple: to leave KFS able to make the work.
Learn filmmaking the way the industry works.
At KFS, you do not study filmmaking in the abstract. You learn it by doing it — from concept and development through production, post-production and distribution. Every stage of the process. Hands on the work.
Hands-on training.
Students shoot, edit, record sound, grade colour and finish films. Not exercises. Films. The training happens on set, in the studio, on location, in the edit suite. Every step of the process is a learning step.
Industry mentorship.
Our tutors and mentors are working filmmakers — directors, cinematographers, producers, editors, sound practitioners. They teach what they practise. The classroom connects to the set. Theory connects to practice. Teaching connects to the industry.
Academic insight.
KFS operates within Kampala University. Students learn craft from practitioners, and they learn storytelling as a discipline — how stories carry culture, history and meaning. The academic framework supports research, critical thinking, professional development and formal study.
The industry teaches you how to make the work. The university teaches you why it matters.
Filmmaking is a craft. We teach it that way.
From a research project in Kampala to the Dolby Theatre.
Research
A research project, Initiated and funded by CIM – the Centre for International Migration and Development, a joint programme implemented by GIZ and its partners. “CIM provided the initial support.
KU-FTF launches
KU-FTV launches: the Film, Television and Video department of Kampala University.
Kampala Film School
KU-FTF is restructured and rebranded as Kampala Film School.
The Cate bugina
2010 – The Cut begins: Beryl Magoko begins her diploma film.
Oscar nomination
Bobi Wine: The People's President, co-directed and shot by KFS alumnus Moses Bwayo, is nominated for an Academy Award.
Early footage of Kampala Film School's founding cohort at the university, taking part in a review of their documentary work.
Kampala Film School began with research.
In the mid-2000s, German film practitioner and educator Andreas Flowein came to Uganda to study film and television production and to build capacity in the education sector. He worked with Kampala University to design a film training programme. The project formed part of the Development, a joint programme implemented by the German Academic Exchange Service and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and partners.
Bwayo brought his research and his vision to Professor Badru Kateregga, Vice-Chancellor of Kampala University and a strong advocate for vocational education. Kateregga saw film education could mean for Ugandan culture and creative sectors. He endorsed the initiative and facilitated the establishment of a formal film training programme within the university.
The programme launched in 2009 as KU-FTF — the Film, Television and Video department of Kampala University. The early programme was led by Bwayo, working closely with his associate Kirsten Kniepkamp and Joseph Olanya, who supported the research and establishment of the programme.
In 2010, following strategic discussions between Kirsten Kniepkamp and Professor Kateregga, KU-FTF was formally restructured and rebranded as Kampala Film School — marking its transition into a dedicated film education institution.
KFS graduated its first cohort in 2013. Early graduates began working in the film industry in 2010. Then The Cate, won the overall top award at the 2014 Kampala International Film Festival and was selected for the Durban International Film Festival, winning the Best Student Documentary. An excerpt from the KFS documentary was screened in 2016. A short documentary was also selected for Durban International Film Festival the following year. In the years that followed, a growing cohort grew to become the continent's most respected film school, and the school built strong professional capacity in the region, building strength on a foundation of hands-on training, industry mentorship, and academic excellence in teaching.
The establishment and growth of KFS have been made possible through international development support and sustained institutional backing. GIZ provided the initial seed funding, while the Volkswagen Foundation supported the early research phase. Kampala University has continued to support the school through academic integration, infrastructure and long-term investment, while over time, KFS has built strong professional partnerships and collaborative relationships with local and international film industry stakeholders.
Today, Kampala Film School continues to evolve as a centre for film education, production and research — building on its founding legacy while responding to the changing needs of the industry. Its graduates continue to shape the future of filmmaking in Uganda and across Africa, telling stories with craft, purpose and integrity.
Among the filmmakers who have trained here is Moses Bwayo, whose film Bobi Wine: The People's President received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature in 2023.
From a research project in Kampala to the Dolby Theatre — that is what KFS is built to make possible.
To train filmmakers through practice — building the craft, discipline and vision to tell stories that matter to Uganda, to East Africa and to the world.
A generation of East African filmmakers whose work shapes how the region sees itself and how the world sees it.
Our values
Practice over theory.
You learn to make films by making films. Theory matters. Research matters. History matters. But filmmaking is a craft. Craft requires practice.
Craft.
Story. Light. Sound. Performance. Editing. Design. The fundamentals matter.
Place.
We are Ugandan. We are East African. Our stories come from here, and we tell them from inside.
Industry.
We connect learning to the people, tools and processes of professional filmmaking.
Access.
Talent is everywhere. Opportunity is not. We work to close that gap.
Crew.
Films are made by teams. Collaboration is part of the craft. You learn to lead, to listen, to take responsibility, and to understand why your work matters to everyone else's work.
Academic oversight
KFS programmes operate within Kampala University’s Mass Communication framework. That means institutional validation and academic supervision. Qualifications are awarded and certified by Kampala University, following approved academic structures.
Quality assurance is maintained through approved curricula and continuous review, internal and external moderation, competent and experienced academic staff, and practical assessment through productions, journals and internships.
Teaching combines ethical practice, research-led instruction and hands-on production. Assessment is based on what students make — films, journals and professional placements — not only on written exams.
KFS & Kampala University
Kampala Film School is affiliated with Kampala University, a chartered university within Uganda's higher education framework.
That affiliation matters. It means KFS combines specialist film training with the academic environment of a university.
The practical training happens through filmmaking — students work with professional equipment, shoot on location, edit in professional suites and finish films. The wider academic framework supports research, critical thinking, professional development and formal study. Students learn film history, African cinema, research methods, critical analysis and visual anthropology.
KFS is actively pursuing independent accreditation. Until that process is complete, qualifications are awarded and certified through Kampala University — recognised in Uganda and legible internationally.
Learn More About Kampala UniversityA campus above Lake Victoria.
The largest lake in Africa. The source of the Nile.
Our campus sits above it, surrounded by water, light, weather, landscape, communities and the changing life of Kampala. These are locations no studio can reproduce.
Filmmaking is about looking. We teach our students to look at this place closely — and then to show it to the world.
The people who run the school.
Professor Badru Kateregga, our patron and chairman
Director's welcoming message
Thank you for choosing Kampala Film School as your space to learn, grow and shine. You are joining a vibrant and diverse school community where your unique voice is valued. KFS's goal is not only for academic excellence but character and resilience too. KFS is a place for you to engage your curiosity and challenge yourself beyond the textbook.
Parents, guardians and sponsors, thank you for entrusting your child's creative education to us. Success is a shared responsibility and KFS aims for a productive partnership with our students' families to help them reach their potential. Our dedicated teachers and staff are here to mentor, teach and support each student with each step they take during their time with us.
Thank you once again for joining us — today marks the beginning of a beautiful creative friendship.
Theodel Rose
Sarah Kateregga
Ronald Kamoga
Rashida Namulondo
Professor Badru Kateregga
Phoebe Ntandigwawo
Philip Matogo
Patrick Verstraete
NAILA FLORENCE
Molly Nakamya
Kitsha Kyasi Joseph
Dianah Bwengye
Daniel Mwigo
Arlen Dilsizian
