The Woman Who Poked The Leopard

Patience Nitumwesiga

The iconic and controversial Ugandan dissident Dr. Stella Nyanzi is jailed for a poem scorning her four-decade dictator. She disrobes in court and mobilizes resistance within prison. Torture is her penalty, and this causes her to lose her unborn child. When she is released from jail, Stella runs for parliament. But a brutal state, a queerphobic constituency, and internal competition within the opposition are hurdles too high to jump. The dictatorship continues to harass Stella even after she loses the election. This strains her relationship with her family, and she flees to exile in Germany. Now she must fight for her country – and her children – far from the motherland.

Uganda, South Africa, Germany, USA 2025, '108

DIRECTOR: Patience Nitumwesiga

SCENARIO: Patience Nitumwesiga

CAMERA: Racheal Mambo, Phil Wilmot

MONTAGE: Kristen Van Schie

MUSIC: Sylvia Babirye

PRODUCERS: Rosie Motene, Natalia Imaz, Phil Wilmot, Menzi Mhlongo, Patience Nitumwesiga

PRODUCTION: SHAGIKA, parabellum film, Ubuntuzim Productions

FESTIVALS & AWARDS:

Dok Leipzig (2025): Ver.di Award
IDFA

Patience Nitumwesiga

Patience Nitumwesiga's documentary debut The Woman Who Poked The Leopard, which places a humanist lens upon one of Africa's most iconic political prisoners, premiered at Dok Leipzig and IDFA in 2025 and won two awards at Dok Leipzig. 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’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.