In the study conducted by Katerina Marshfield and Michiel van Oosterhout and funded by the Embassy of the United States of America in Kampala, most interviewees expressed their willingness to pay more money to see local productions. The high demand for Ugandan (or East African) productions, which became evident through the research, clearly indicates a potentially big distribution market for Ugandan filmmakers.

 Photo below by Morgan Mbabazi

“With the support of the Uganda Video Hall Association (UVOA), which has an easy access to all the video halls and which is keen on developing copyright protected distribution in the country, home grown films could be promoted within an official framework. Charging a higher fee and protecting the film makers copyright would mean that more Ugandan productions would find their way to the video halls. However, the implementation of a new copyright law still remains a challenge.”

The study identifies Video Halls (VHs) as a large untapped distribution network of “infotainment” to underprivileged (grass root) communities. It therefore identified four main areas that are vital for further development of video halls as reputable centers of infotainment. “Though VHs owners and operators express their interest in the suggestion to bring more local, varied and educational or informative content to their audiences and to respect their specific needs, their access to such materials and their expertise in how to select them is very limited,” the report suggests.

Its main purpose was to identify and analyze what is being shown to who and under which circumstances, in order to assess the potential of VHs as quality information and education venues and to design a contingency plan to develop them.

The video halls are often the only affordable source of audio-visual input for many a young Ugandan. Due to their negative connotations, very few organisations have so far considered the video halls as an effective tool to reach needy communities and thus support their status as valuable information centers.

On average, the VHs can seat between one hundred to five hundred viewers. Normally, there are four to seven shows a day. The first shows generally attract fewer viewers than later evening shows. Such ‘prime time’ shows easily fill up the VHs to their full capacity especially if it’s the English Premier Football League and Champions League.

Since two years ago, the video halls have also been paying tax and an annual license fee of between Ushs60, 000 – 250,000 ($34 - 142), depending on their size. In most cases the owners of video halls see the exploitation of video halls as an additional income. For the operators, however, it is often their only job and they depend on them for their livelihood.

There are different classes of halls. The cheapest are made out of papyrus reeds. These are mostly found on the outskirts of town. The next step-ups are wooden or brick or stone structured. “Many halls still do not conform to the safety measures issued by the Union of Video Hall Owners and Operators Association in 2003. Electric wiring often hangs loosely connected and unprotected above the viewers. They are often situated in overcrowded neighbourhoods and slummy areas such as Kisenyi, Bwaise, Kawempe and Mulago,” the report says.