Bouncing Cats
Encyclopedia
Bouncing Cats is a 2010 documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...

 written and directed by Australian director and photographer Nabil Elderkin
Nabil Elderkin
Nabil Elderkin is an Australian professional photographer and music video and film director of mixed American and Iranian origin. Born in Chicago and raised in Australia, he is now based in Los Angeles, California.-Beginnings:...

. The film follows the efforts of Abraham "Abramz" Tekya and Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU) to use dance to empower youth in war-torn Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

. The film is a testimony of Crazy Legs of Rock Steady Crew
Rock Steady Crew
Rock Steady Crew is a b-boying crew and hip hop group that was established in the Bronx, New York City in 1977. The group was initially formed by b-boys named Jimmy D and Jojo. In subsequent years, Rock Steady Crew became a franchise name for groups in other locations. The Manhattan branch was...

 and his experiences in the BPU program. The film features narration by Common and additional interviews with Mos Def
Mos Def
Dante Terrell Smith is an American actor and Emcee known by the stage names Mos Def and Yasiin Bey. He started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which...

, Will.I.Am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...

 and K'Naan
K'naan
K'naan , born Keinan Abdi Warsame in 1978, is a Somali Canadian poet, rapper, singer, songwriter and instrumentalist.-Biography:Born in Somalia, K'naan spent his childhood in Mogadishu and lived there during the Somali Civil War, which began in 1991. His aunt, Magool, was one of Somalia's most...

. Also appearing in the film is Nobel Peace Prize nominee Okot Jolly Grace, whose guidance enabled the filmmakers to see and understand the plight of children in northern Uganda.

Synopsis

Bouncing Cats is the story of one man's attempt to create a better life for the children of Uganda using the unlikely tool of hip-hop with a focus on b-boy culture and breakdance. Abraham "Abramz" Tekya, a Ugandan b-boy and an AIDS orphan creates a free workshop teaching youth b-boy culture to 300 disenfranchised kids living in precarious conditions in Kampala
Kampala
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...

 in 2006, and in Gulu
Gulu
Gulu is a city in Northern Uganda. It is the commercial and administrative centre of Gulu District. The city is located at 2˚46'48N 32˚18'00E, on the metre gauge railway from Tororo to Pakwach. Gulu is located approximately , by road, north of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city...

 in North Uganda. Uganda is often referred to as one of the worst places on earth to be a child.

Crazy Legs receives an invitation from Abramz to teach b-boy classes in Uganda. He accepts to join the program and is inspired by the passion for hip-hop by the kids enrolled in it. Bouncing Cats follows Abramz, Crazy Legs, and Breakdance Project Uganda on a journey to use hip-hop culture for positive social change.

In terms of the title, Bouncing Cats "is the sound made by the kids in Uganda when they have no access to a boombox,” according to the film's director, Nabil Elderkin, “Using 'bouncing cats, baboons and cats' in repetition, they create their own beat.”

Breakdance Project Uganda

Breakdance Project Uganda started in February 2006 by Abramz out of his belief that hip hop can be used as a tool to engage and empower disadvantaged youth. Its mission is to involve young people in hip hop culture in order to build leadership skills and promote social responsibility for positive change. From the initial three students who turned up at the first session, the Project has grown through word of mouth, regular showcase performances, and exposure on the World Wide Web to become a thriving organization with over 1,000 members nationally in Uganda and many more supporters around the world.

Abramz organizes breakdancing sessions each week for hundreds of youth in different parts of the country. The Project has been built around free breakdancing classes which are currently offered at the Sharing Youth Centre, Kampala, Gulu Youth Centre and TAKS Art Centre in Gulu. The classes are sustained by members freely passing on their skills to new members, following the BPU ideology that everyone is a student and everyone is a teacher with something positive to give. Members have also made outreach visits to towns in other parts of Eastern and Northern Uganda to share their skills and engage more youth across Uganda. Many of the participating children are extremely vulnerable with members who are orphans, victims of war and poverty, unable to afford proper schooling. Despite the hardships, children walk from miles away to attend the BPU classes each week.

Proceeds from the film benefit Breakdance Project Uganda.

Awards

  • In April 2010, it won the "Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking" award at Newport Beach Film Festival
    Newport Beach Film Festival
    The Newport Beach Film Festival is a film festival in the United States held in Newport Beach, California, that showcases more than 350 films to more than 30,000 attendees annually....

    .
  • In September 2010, it won "Best Documentary Feature" at the Urbanworld Film Festival, a leading showcase for urban, ethnic, and multicultural cinema.
  • Also in September 2010, the film won an "Audience Favorite" award at DocUtah (Southern Utah International Documentary Film Festival
    Southern Utah International Documentary Film Festival
    The Southern Utah International Documentary Film Festival is an annual film festival, held in September, that strives to recognize some of the best in international documentary films. Hosted by Dixie State College of Utah , the festival screens films at various locations throughout the southern...

    ).
  • In December 2010, Bouncing Cats won the Bahamas International Film Festival
    Bahamas International Film Festival
    Bahamas International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in early December in the Bahamas, founded in 2004.The Bahamas International Film Festival is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing the local community and international visitors with a diverse presentation of films...

    Audience Award for “Best Feature Documentary.”

US Television Premiere

Bouncing Cats makes its US television premiere on Documentary Channel on Saturday, November 19, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. (EST/PST).
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