Nana Kagga
Nana Hill Kagga Macpherson (also known as Nana Kagga-Hill or as Nana Hill or Nana Hill Kagga) is a Ugandan actress, filmmaker, content creator, scriptwriter, petroleum engineer and motivational speaker.[1] She wrote and directed the 2012 film The Life and was a writer and executive producer of Beneath the Lies - The Series.[2][3]
Nana Kagga Macpherson | |
|---|---|
Kagga interviewed by RealTVfilms in 2008. | |
| Born | Nana Kagale Kagga 6 April 1977 |
| Alma mater | University of Birmingham, UK |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Best Actress in a Feature Film, 2022 |
Life and background
Kagga was born in Nairobi, Kenya to Ugandan parents, one an engineer. Kagga is a Muganda and part of the traditional ruling clan of the Baganda tribe, the ‘Bambejja’ (princesses). Kagga is the third of six children of both her parents. At the time of her birth, her parents were in exile during the regime of President Idi Amin. Kagga grew up primarily in Uganda in a well-to-do family. In addition to her father and maternal grandfather, four of her siblings are also engineers. Kagga resides in Kampala, Uganda with her 3 children. She is fluent in English and Luganda.
Education
Kagga completed her Primary education at Kampala Parents School. She then joined Gayaza High School, one of the most prestigious girl's schools in Uganda, for her O-Levels. She then did her A-Levels at Red Maids School, Bristol, the oldest Girls’ School in the UK. Kagga then joined the University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK where she attained a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. Kagga was an excellent all-round student who excelled in sciences, arts and sports. During her summer holidays, she would return to Uganda and was a presenter for Jam Agenda on WBS, a popular Ugandan TV show.[4]
Career
Engineering
Following her graduation, Kagga moved to Florida, United States, then New Mexico, United States. In New Mexico, she worked at Laguna Industries as a Process Engineer in Laguna working on US Military contracts.[5]
Hollywood (as Nana Hill)
Kagga decided to move to pursue her acting and presenting in Los Angeles and enjoyed some success. Kagga was cast in a number of films including Cowboys and Indians, A Good Day to Be Black and Sexy (Segment ‘Reprise’), He's Just Not That into You, Star Trek, CSI: NY – Boo, Life, Runway Stars. In US Theatre, Kagga was cast as Mercy in the play, Butterflies of Uganda by Darren Dahms which was nominated for an NAACP award. Kagga appeared in several music videos by P!nk, Amy Winehouse, Sting, Lenny Kravitz.[6] Kagga also appeared in several TV ads including for KFC, Coors Light, Pepsi, DSW, Microsoft, APPLE, Tylenol, DOVE.[7] While in L.A, Kagga also owned a vintage and resale store on Santa Monica Blvd called A Vintage Affair.
In Uganda
Kagga moved back to Uganda in late 2009 and set up a business, Savannah MOON Ltd. Savannah MOON under the brand, Savannah MOON Productions hproduced a full-length feature film, The Life[8] which was shown on M-NET, a TV Series Beneath The Lies - The Series,[9] which is currently being shown on Urban TV and digitally distributed by MTN Uganda and a TV Program, How We See It. Savannah MOON has also co-produced a short film called The Last Breath with Kampala Film School. Savannah MOON is currently working on developing several concepts and content including Taking Time, an upcoming TV series.
Kagga has created an initiative, You are Limitless (YAL), which aims to motivate, guide and encourage Africans, especially the youth to achieve their full potential. Kagga also works as a Petroleum Engineer for one of the large Oil & Gas companies operating in Uganda. She was one of the judges for Miss Uganda 2018.[10]
Filmography
As an actress
Film
| Year | Film | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Nalwawo | Nanta | Emokor Eric | Produced at Savannah MOON |
| 2009 | Star Trek | Enterprise Crew Member | J. J. Abrams | Paramount Pictures |
| He's Just Not That into You | Party Guest | Ken Kwapis | Universal Pictures | |
| 2008 | A Good Day to Be Black and Sexy (Segment Reprise) | Candi | Dennis Dortch | Magnolia Pictures |
| 2007 | Collision | Independent film | ||
| Hitch-hike | Independent film | |||
| Cowboys and Indians | Indian | Short film |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Prestige | Jazmine | TV series, Pearl Magic Prime | |
| 2014 | Beneath the Lies - The Series | Attorney General | Joseph Katsha Kyasi | TV series, Savannah MOON Productions |
| 2008 | Runway Stars | Angel | Web series | |
| Life (NBC TV series) | Pretty Black Girl | TV series, NBC | ||
| 2007 | CSI: NY – Boo | Josephine Delacroix | Joe Dante | TV series, CBS |
| 2006 | BET Stars | BET |
Theater
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Theater | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Butterflies of Uganda[11] | Mercy[12] | Darren Dahms | Mercy | Greenway Theater September–October 2008 |
As a crew member
| Year | Film/TV series | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Nalwawo | Creator, scriptwriter, producer | Feature film |
| 2019 | Mela | Creator, scriptwriter, director | Web series |
| 2018 | Reflections[13] | Creator, scriptwriter, director | TV series starring Cleopatra Koheirwe, Gladys Oyenbot, and Housen Mushema |
| 2016 | The Last Breath | Executive producer | Short film |
| 2014 | Beneath The Lies - The Series[14] | Creator, scriptwriter, Executive Producer | TV Series |
| How We See It | Host, director, producer | Ugandan talk show | |
| 2012 | The Life | Director, producer | Feature film |
Awards
| Awards & Nominations | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref |
| 2022 | Uganda Film Festival Awards | Best Actress in a Feature Film | Nalwawo | Won | [15] |
| Best Indigenous Film | Nalwawo | Won | |||
| 2021 | Best Actress in a TV Drama | Prestige | Won | [16] | |
References
- ^ "Star Profile: Nana Kagga An All Round Dreamer Changing The Face Of Television". Chano 8. Roy Ruva. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ . Kampala Sun. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
- ^ "New star studded TV series to hit screens in 8 weeks". Satisfaction Ug. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
- ^ Baranga, Samson. "Kagga, the engineer with a passion for film". The Observer. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
- ^ "Caught between the arts and sciences". Daily Monitor. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
- ^ "Interview with Nana Kagga of 'The Life'". Mawado. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- ^ ""If You Give Yourself Permission to Dream, You Will Be Amazed at What You Can Achieve" Nana Kagga-Macpherson #AfricanWomanOfTheWeek". Bugisi Ruux. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- ^ "THE LIFE Official Movie Trailer, Directed by Nana Hill Kagga". Ugandan Diaspora. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
- ^ "Beneath The Lies' Nana Kaggwa Fit to Burst". Chimpreports. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
- ^ "Five Miss Uganda beauty pageant judges unveiled". Uganda Online. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- ^ "'Butterflies of Uganda' debuts at Greenway Court Theatre". NICOLE KRISTAL. Backstage. Retrieved 4 September 2007.
- ^ "Butterflies of Uganda". Backstage. Retrieved 19 September 2007.
- ^ . Jump. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
- ^ "Don't Miss!! "Beneath the Lies" TV series, Created by Nana Kagga Macpherson, Premieres Dec 17th, Urban TV". Ugandan Diaspora News. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ "Who won award at Uganda Film Festival?". The New Vision. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ Jjingo, Ernest. "Nana Kagga, Samuel Kizito win in film awards". The Observer. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
External links
- Nana Kagga at IMDb
- Nana Kagga at Rotten Tomatoes
- Nana Kagga Facebook Profile