Quick Facts
Biography
Matt Bish (Born 15 May 1975), also known as Matthew Bishanga, is a Ugandan filmmaker and the Creative Director at Bish Films. He directed the first Ugawood feature film, Battle of the Souls, in 2007.
Personal life and education
The first of four children born to Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Bishanga, Bish obtained his early education in Uganda. There, as a boy, he grew to love film, attending the cinema but also being exposed to many movies at home with his family on his father's home video system. He credits his parents with inspiring his film career. After his primary education, he attended Makerere University in Kampala, where he studied Architecture, before moving to the Netherlands in 1998 and studying Digital Filmmaking at the SAE Institute in Amsterdam.
Career
In 2005, Bish returned to Uganda to start an audiovisual production company "Bish Films Ltd" with his younger brother Roger Mugisha. At first limited to music videos, it soon branched out into films. Bish worked on his first feature film in 2006. Battle of the Souls is the first feature film in Uganda.
Bish Films produces TV commercials and documentaries, as well as films and music videos as they did when they first began. He believes Ugandan films that try to maintain quality should not be categorised as kina-Uganda (like ki-Nigeria) but rather Nile Films, Ugawood or something else.
"A critic is someone who can't do what you do the way you do it..." - Matt Bish
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Battle of the Souls | Writer, Director, Producer | 105 Minutes, commonly referred to as 'Uganda's First Feature Film'; Official Selection: Kenya International Film Festival, Zanzibar International Film Festival, Verona International Film Festival, Pan African Film Festival (Los Angeles), African Movie Academy Awards (11 nominations, Won Best Visual Effects and Best Supporting Actor), Special Mention for Best African Film (KIFF, ZIFF, VIFF) |
| 2011 | State Research Bureau (2011 film) | Director, Producer | 95 Minutes; Official Selection: African Film Festival Lagos (Nigeria), ZIFF, AMAA (2 nominations), KIFF, Pearl International Film Festival (7 nominations), Africa in the Picture International Film Festival Amsterdam 2012 (Winner Best Ugandan Feature Film, Cinematography, Producer, Screenplay and Actor Awards at PIFF, Kampala) |
| 2014 | The Sircle | Director | 60 Minutes for M-Net Africa Magic Channel |
| 2014 | Playboy | Director | 60 Minutes for M-Net Africa Magic Channel |
| 2014 | No Lie | Director | 60 Minutes for M-Net Africa Magic Channel |
- Short films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | A Good Catholic Girl | Writer, Director, Producer | 26 Minutes, with the support of Focus Features in its Africa First Program; Official Selection: KIFF, ZIFF, VIFF 2011 |
| 2012 | Cut That Thing | Director, Producer | 14 Minutes, produced for Z.O.A.; Official Selection: Interfilm Berlin International Short Film Festival 2012, Kenya International Film Festival |
- Documentaries
| Year | Documentary | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Vote National Resistance Movement | Director, Producer | 5 Minutes, produced for Mary Kiseka |
| 2005 | The Journey of KMCC | Director, Producer | 26 Minutes, for Kansanga Mirale Centre Church |
| 2006 | Celtel Uganda | Director, Producer | 9 Minutes |
| 2011 | No Water No School | Director, Producer | 3 Minutes, for UNHCR |
| 2011 | Picking Up The Pieces | Director, Producer | 4 Minutes, produced for UNHCR |
| 2011 | Restoring Dignity | Director, Producer | 3 Minutes, for UNHCR; Official Selection: Kenya International Film Festival 2011 |
| 2011 | Returning Home | Director, Producer | 5 Minutes, for UNHCR; Official Selection: Kenya International Film Festival 2011 |
| 2011 | The Struggle To Live A Dignifying Life | Director, Producer | 14 Minutes, produced for HelpAge International |