Synopsis

When Stella Nyanzi walks into a room, things get lively. The Ugandan feminist, gender researcher, anthropologist, and poet doesn’t mince words in her fight against state oppression. She mocked Yoweri Museveni, who has been in office for nearly 40 years, with a vulgar poem and was sent to prison for it in 2017. After her release, Nyanzi ran for parliament without having the necessary funds for a campaign.

With a handheld camera that moves freely, the film captures the power of its protagonist; its rhythm mirrors her furious words. The result is a portrait of a woman who has made radicalism and provocation her way of life. We get a closer look at an activist who constantly pushes herself and those around her to their limits. Yet it’s nearly impossible to resist Stella Nyanzi’s energy. (Anke Leweke, DOK Leipzig)

Links /Contacts

Director

Patience Nitumwesiga

Biography

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East African filmmaker Patience Nitumwesiga’s shorts have been featured at Locarno Film Festival, Berlinale’s EFM, and festivals worldwide. She is now developing her first fiction feature, How To Forget Your Name. Common themes across her work include pre-colonial values, death, African utopianism, and gender deconstruction. Patience’s documentary debut The Woman Who Poked The Leopard places a humanist lens upon one of Africa’s most iconic political prisoners. She co-founded the film and storytelling production company SHAGIKA.

Filmography

The Woman Who Poked the Leopard (2025)