waltagabrielbusulwa@gmail.com

Gabriel Walta Busulwa is an award-winning Ugandan-Canadian filmmaker based in Toronto, Ontario. He is recognized for his impactful work exploring Afrofuturism, Pan-Africanism, global development, and Canadian Black cinema. Gabriel creates films that speak to international audiences about African society economically, socially, and culturally with a strong focus on issues affecting women and African communities.

Gabriel made his directorial debut in 2013 with “Not Bride a Girl.” His breakthrough came with “Akello” (2016), which was selected for the Mashariki African Film Festival. His body of work has since been showcased across Uganda, South Sudan, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, the United States, the Dominican Republic, Sierra Leone, Liberia, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom.

He is an alumnus of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Film Studies program and has participated in several prominent development labs, including the Uganda Film Festival Producers Lab (2013–2015), Maisha Film Lab (2015), UNICEF-UNFPA’s Filming the Bridge on Ending FGM/C (2017) and the Preventing Sexual Violence Film Lab (2018, London). In 2023, he joined both the Cinephilia Film and TV Development Workroom (USA) and the Ogo-Tawa Black Arts Lab (Canada).

In 2018, his film “BiBi MTOTO” earned him the Best Director Award at the Coast Film Festival in Mombasa, Kenya. His recent short documentary “Masaka to Toronto” (2024) won the Award of Distinction at the Canada Shorts Film Festival and has been nominated for Best Documentary at the 2025 Uganda Film Festival.

Currently, Gabriel is in post-production on his new documentary “Disco of the Dead,” which he filmed in Uganda. He is also in late development on the short film “Zona & Neda” (2025), and in early development for his feature documentary debut, “There not Canadians Too.”

Through his work, Gabriel aims to craft thought-provoking films that inspire empathy, peace, hope, and love. He is committed to global collaboration in storytelling as a tool for creating meaningful and lasting change.

Filmography:

• There not Canadians Too / dugometražni dokumentarni film / 2027 / kao scenarista, reditelj (u ranom razvoju)
• Zona & Neda / kratki igrani film / 2026 / kao scenarista, reditelj (u razvoju)
• Last Taxi from Kawempe / kratki igrani film / 2025 / kao reditelj, producent
• Disco of the Dead / kratki dokumentarni film / 2025 / kao scenarista, producent, reditelj (u postprodukciji)
• Masaka to Toronto / kratki dokumentarni film / 2024 / kao scenarista, reditelj, producent
• BiBi MTOTO / kratki igrani film / 2018 / kao reditelj, producent
• Akello / kratki igrani film / 2016 / kao reditelj
• Not Bride a Girl / kratki igrani film / 2013 / kao reditelj

Festivals and Awards:

• BiBi MTOTO / Coast filmski festival / Glavna takmičarska selekcija / Mombasa, Kenija / 2018 / Nagrada za najboljeg reditelja
• Akello / Mashariki afrički filmski festival / Takmičenje kratkog igranog filma / Kigali, Ruanda / 2016 / Zvanična selekcija
• Masaka to Toronto / Canada Shorts filmski festival / Zvanična selekcija / Nju Bransvik, Kanada / 2024 / Nagrada za izuzetnost
• Masaka to Toronto / Filmski festival Ugande / Nominacija za najbolji dokumentarni film / Kampala, Uganda / 2025 / Nominacija