Film | Memories of Love Returned: The Life and Work of Ugandan Photographer Kibaate Aloysius Ssalongo

Digital | 2024 | Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine | Uganda and United States | 76 minutes | English

Free admission. No registration required.

Film Synopsis

On April 24th, 2002, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine’s car broke down in the small town of Mbirizi, Uganda. While waiting for the car's repair he stumbled upon a photo studio and met photographer Kibaate Aloysius Ssalongo, whose work spanned from the late 1950’s up till 2006 when he passed away.

This chance encounter turned into a 22 year journey documenting and exploring Kibaate’s life and photography and the profound impact it had on Ntare’s life and the lives of the entire community he documented.

The film is centered on a large-scale outdoor exhibit in Kibaate’s hometown, which led to the community's discovery of long lost photos, family secrets and never before seen family members all being brought to life through Kibaate’s work.

Followed by a post-screening discussion with director, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine and Professor Thomas Allen Harris.

Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine

Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine recently completed filming on Ron Howard’s feature film Alone at Dawn. He currently stars opposite Michael C. Hall in Showtime’s Dexter: Resurrection and alongside Taron Egerton in Apple TV+’s Smoke, from acclaimed writer Dennis Lehane. He previously starred opposite Rachel Weisz in the 2024 Peabody Award–winning Amazon series Dead Ringers, based on David Cronenberg’s 1988 thriller, and played Detective Raymond Griggs in Netflix’s hit series The Lincoln Lawyer, created by David E. Kelley and Ted Humphrey. Mwine is also widely recognized for his critically acclaimed portrayal of Ronnie, the complex anti-hero in Lena Waithe’s Showtime series The Chi.

As a filmmaker, Mwine is on the 2024–2026 international festival run of his documentary feature Memories of Love Returned, spotlighting the life and work of renowned Ugandan photographer Kibaate Aloysius Ssalongo, with Steven Soderbergh as executive producer. The film has won Best Documentary at the Zanzibar International Film Festival, the Audience Award at the Pan African Film Festival, Best Documentary Feature at the Silicon Valley African Film Festival, and Best International Documentary with a Special Jury Mention at the Africa Film Festival.

This screening is part of the Family Narratives/Cultural Shifts film series. This film series features deeply personal films by documentarians, artists, activists, and agents of change who are united in their use of the film/media to speak truth to power. These filmmakers use media to build community, family, and ultimately, family albums and archives that future generations can use to build their own practices. Just as the family album traditionally sought to unite folks across time, space, and difference, the films in these series are journeys that culminate in linkages, helping us understand nuances of identity and redefine ideas around family while illuminating personal relationships with larger cultural, social, and historical movements.

Presented by Yale Black Studies, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Film and Media Studies, and the Family Pictures Institute for Inclusive Storytelling.