Cinedigm Entertainment Group has acquired all U.S. distribution rights to Call Me Kuchu. The powerful and moving film documents the daily lives of David Kato – the first openly gay Ugandan man – and three fellow kuchus (LGBT Ugandans) culminating in a brutal and senseless murder that sent shock waves throughout the world. The film is planned for a theatrical release in early 2013 followed by on-demand premium digital DVD and TV release. Born out of Film Independent's Artist Development Program Call Me Kuchu has earned stellar reviews on the festival circuit including winning both the Teddy Award (Best Documentary) and the Cinema Fairbindet Prize at the 2012 Berlin Film Festival the Amnesty International's Human Rights Award at the Durban Film Festival and Best International Feature at Hot Docs 2012. Over the course of two years filmmakers Katherine Fairfax Wright and Malika Zouhali-Worrall documented the daily lives of the outspoken and inspiring Kato and his fellow kuchus as Uganda was emerging as a frontier in the battle for African LGBT rights. Call Me Kuchu is both a gripping portrait of a country where civil rights clash with entrenched attitudes (and the popular vote) as well as an in-depth examination of the nature and consequences of profound religious faith as expressed by evangelical leaders as well as the kuchu community and its allies. “Call Me Kuchu is one of those rare films that tackles a controversial worldwide issue and then makes that very issue exceedingly personal and intense ” said Vincent Scordino vice president of acquisitions for Cinedigm Entertainment Group. “Viewers will come away profoundly moved. And appropriately angry.” “Throughout the course of this project no one has believed in the power of documentation more than David Kato himself ” said Fairfax Wright and Zouhali-Worall. “It is with great delight that we are partnering with Cinedigm to ensure the story of David's courage and the movement he began will now reach audiences across America. Katy and Malika’s Call Me Kuchu is an important film to come out of Film Independent's Artist Development Program and it was exciting to watch it garner accolades on the festival circuit and from leading US and global political organizations said Film Independent co-president Sean Mc Manus. While the film is set in Uganda its message is a global one reminding us that the relevance of having an ongoing dialogue around equality can’t be understated. We are thrilled that Cinedigm will bring this exceptionally-crafted powerful film to the broadest possible audience.” Call Me Kuchu is directed by Katherine Fairfax Wright and Malika Zouhali-Worrall and produced by Zouhali-Worrall with support from Film Independent’s inaugural Documentary Lab as well as Chicken & Egg Pictures Catapult Film Fund and Cinereach. The filmmakers were represented in the negotiation by Andrew Herwitz President Film Sales Company and by Emily Rothschild for Cinedigm Entertainment Group.
