UPDF 4th division public relations officer, Major Ceaser Olweny has told journalists that Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) is set to make a feature film showcasing the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency in northern Uganda, the Observer reports.
Titled, ‘The Devils Chest’, this film, as reported, will show how the LRA rebels were defeated and flashed out of the country.
The newspaper says that the scenes of this film will be captured starting next Monday, January 9 in Abera forest Gulu district, Opaka forest in Koro sub-county and Omoro district, showcasing “the sufferings of women, children and men in the hands of the rebel group led by International Criminal Court indicted guerrilla leader Joseph Kony.”
“This war took so long, we need a record. For those who are born during the war, they have seen, but there are those who have not known how hectic this war was. You will get to know [all this] in this film. For our brothers and sisters who have ever ‘tested’ it, it will be a very good reminder to the rest of the people but above all to keep the history living. It will also help us for training purposes.
Sometimes when you watch these films acted by Americans all the time, you also watch the tactics they have displayed in the film. So for us we also need this in case of anything we shall be in a better position to fight an insurgence operation better than what we fought in this part of the country,” Olweny told the Observer.
He emphasizes that the film will also be used as a bravery-training tool for new recruits in the army – saying it will feature more than 50 soldiers.
“We shall also have the same UPDF soldiers dressed like the LRA because the film is covering the war we had with the LRA. So we need some soldiers dressed like the LRA living in those areas. Now it is our humble appeal to the public that if you come across these groups I have mentioned, don’t be scared.
These are UPDF doing the film and we shall not take more than 10 days in these areas and we shall also erect some structures, we shall have some shootings in the areas. Whenever you hear of some shootings in these areas don’t just run anyhow – thinking there’s renewed rebel activity in these areas, no. That will be the UPDF conducting this exercise.”
The Observer reports that Production of the film will be co-funded by New Movie Production, a Ugandan movie-making firm based in Kampala, with aid from Uganda’s Armed forces, UPDF.
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