Forget the Director, This Is Emmy’s Cut!

Marion Desmaret, Docu-fiction, 2025, Uganda and Germany, 11:00 minutes

Direction, production and edition: Marion Desmaret
Camera and sound: Ian Nnyanzi
Additional camera: Olivier Jourdain
Color grading: Juliette Valentin

Synopsis
Forget The Director, This is Emmy’s Cut! is an experimental short documentary that dives into the world of VJ Emmy, Uganda's legendary Video-Joker. A deeply rooted form of storytelling in East Africa, VJ-ing involves translating and remixing foreign films for local audiences in real-time performances or on DVDs, transcending traditional cinema boundaries. Part oral historian, part stand-up prophet, Emmy remixes blockbusters, cult classics, and local films with unfiltered commentary in Luganda and English. He adds a spice so strong, he is one of the biggest movie stars of the country. Through his reinterpretations of Western films, Emmy blurs the line between screen and reality, challenges norms, and reminds us that sometimes we must “kill our idols” to find our own voice. Mixing vérité, stylized fiction, and layered narration, the film is a celebration of storytelling as resistance, a culture reclaiming and reshaping the Western narrative. Forget the director, this is his cut.

Prices

Best German short films of 2026 at AG Kurzfilm Catalog 2026

Festivals
IFFR 2026
AG Kurzfilm Catalog 2026
Cannes Short Film Corner
Lago Film Festival - Official Competition

Forget the Director, This Is Emmy’s Cut!

Marion Desmaret, Docu-fiction, 2025, Uganda and Germany, 11:00 minutes

Direction, production and edition: Marion Desmaret
Camera and sound: Ian Nnyanzi
Additional camera: Olivier Jourdain
Color grading: Juliette Valentin

Synopsis
Forget The Director, This is Emmy’s Cut! is an experimental short documentary that dives into the world of VJ Emmy, Uganda's legendary Video-Joker. A deeply rooted form of storytelling in East Africa, VJ-ing involves translating and remixing foreign films for local audiences in real-time performances or on DVDs, transcending traditional cinema boundaries. Part oral historian, part stand-up prophet, Emmy remixes blockbusters, cult classics, and local films with unfiltered commentary in Luganda and English. He adds a spice so strong, he is one of the biggest movie stars of the country. Through his reinterpretations of Western films, Emmy blurs the line between screen and reality, challenges norms, and reminds us that sometimes we must “kill our idols” to find our own voice. Mixing vérité, stylized fiction, and layered narration, the film is a celebration of storytelling as resistance, a culture reclaiming and reshaping the Western narrative. Forget the director, this is his cut.

Prices

Best German short films of 2026 at AG Kurzfilm Catalog 2026

Festivals
IFFR 2026
AG Kurzfilm Catalog 2026
Cannes Short Film Corner
Lago Film Festival - Official Competition