Woman Who Poked the Leopard (The)

Unapologetic and outspoken, Ugandan scholar, poet and activist Stella Nyanzi has never believed in polite protest. Known for confronting President Yoweri Museveni’s government with biting satire and unfiltered insults—once famously calling the state leader "a pair of buttocks"—she has become one of the country's most uniquely vocal dissidents. Patience Nitumwesiga’s bold and intimate documentary follows Nyanzi through the consequences of her dissent, from arrest and imprisonment to a run for parliament, as she campaigns for women's rights and LGBTQ+ equality in a deeply conservative political climate. Her protests often take deliberately provocative forms, including stripping in court and other public acts aimed at exposing the hypocrisy of those trying to silence her. The film’s emotional heart, however, is in its turning towards the private realities behind these confrontations. As Nyanzi presses forward with her activism, we also witness the strain this struggle puts on her family and the expectations placed on women in the public eye, exposing the toll of a life devoted to the fight for change. Carmen Thompson

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