iKon Awards Launch the 2024 Edition in Style
Kampala, Uganda - On the 18th of September, the prestigious iKon Awards launched the 2024 edition of their annual celebration of creativity and innovation in the creative sector. The event took place at the Kampala Serena Hotel and was graced by an array of industry professionals, the 2023 edition winners, and talented creators from various fields within the creative sector. Actress, emcee, singer, and radio personality Cleopatra Koheirwe had the honor of hosting the event, setting the tone for the evening.
The previous iKon Awards ceremony was held on the 25th of March 2023, at the same venue. Remarkably, a mere five months later, the iKon Awards is launching its second edition, demonstrating the awards' growing significance within the creative community. The launch marked the opening of submissions for nominations for the upcoming edition. Additionally, the launch event hinted at the revelation of the iKon Awards Young Fellowship Program finalists that would be announced soon.
James Tusiime, the Country Director of Reach Ahand, opened the ceremony with a speech. He expressed gratitude to the partners and the Sauti Plus team for organizing the wonderful event and emphasized that all creative initiatives stemming from Reach Ahand’s subsidiary - Sauti Plus, such as movies like "When You Become Me," "Kyaddala," "Sabotage," and more, as well as prestigious awards like the iKon Awards, align with Reach Ahand's mission to empower youth through creativity.
The founder of iKon Awards, Mr. Humphrey Nabimanya, took the stage and extended his appreciation to the sponsors who made the event possible. He emphasized the importance of collaboration within the industry to elevate it to new heights. Mr. Nabimanya shared the exciting news that iKon would be exploring opportunities for winners and participants outside or even within the country. An example would be an internship at global entertainment giants like Netflix or Disney. These opportunities would not only expose Ugandan talent to the world but also bring valuable experience and skills back to Uganda. On the same note, he expressed appreciation for the Uganda producers who have taken up young talents from the Fellowship programs to help them learn more about film by interning at their productions like Matthew Nabwiso with Sanyu, Nathan Magoola with Beloved, Doreen Mirembe with DamaLie and more. With these opportunities to these young creators, it builds a good young pool of good filmmakers which makes the future of the industry great.
A panel discussion followed, featuring key partners of the iKon Awards, including ATS Events, Century Cinemax, Muchachos, Print Creations, and industry players like producer and exhibitor Ashiraf Mulima, as well as iKon Young Filmmaker Fellowship Program 2023 winner, Doreen Mirembe. The discussion revolved around the vital contributions of various companies and organizations to the growth of the film industry and their reasons for supporting the iKon Awards.