Patience Nitumwesiga’s documentary debut, The Woman Who Poked the Leopard, premiered at Dok Leipzig and IDFA in 2025. She is now developing her first fiction feature, How to Forget Your Name. Nitumwesiga’s shorts have been featured at Locarno Film Festival, Berlinale, and festivals worldwide.

She was born in the spirit-protected mountains of Buhweju and was raised by a family of teachers and farmers. Devouring any book she could find, her love for stories drove her to the field of art and storytelling. She’s an alumna of Makere University where she studied Drama, and Maisha Film Lab as well as Talents Durban. Common themes across her work include precolonial values, death, African utopianism, and gender deconstruction. She co-founded the film and storytelling production company SHAGIKA based in Kampala, Uganda.