Sserunya Ernest

In September 2022, Sserunya made headlines after being briefly arrested by the Uganda Police Force during the Nyege Nyege Festival in Jinja. While representing the Ugandan film collective Pearlwood, he showcased his hyper-realistic SFX skills by walking around with a prop machete (panga) seemingly impaling his torso. Because the bloody makeup looked incredibly convincing, it caused panic and led security forces to detain him for staging a dangerous act without a permit. Following public outcries and appeals from the local filmmaking community, he was released peacefully three days later. He later noted the stunt was partially a social experiment to see how police and first responders would react to a severe trauma victim.

In September 2022, Sserunya made headlines after being briefly arrested by the Uganda Police Force during the Nyege Nyege Festival in Jinja. While representing the Ugandan film collective Pearlwood, he showcased his hyper-realistic SFX skills by walking around with a prop machete (panga) seemingly impaling his torso. Because the bloody makeup looked incredibly convincing, it caused panic and led security forces to detain him for staging a dangerous act without a permit. Following public outcries and appeals from the local filmmaking community, he was released peacefully three days later. He later noted the stunt was partially a social experiment to see how police and first responders would react to a severe trauma victim.

CAREER

Sserunya Ernest is a prominent Ugandan actor, special effects makeup artist, and director central to Wakaliwood, the famous low-budget action film studio based in the slums of Wakaliga, Kampala. He is internationally recognized for playing the primary antagonist, Richard, the ruthless boss of the Tiger Mafia, in the 2010 cult classic action film Who Killed Captain Alex?. Beyond his iconic role as Richard, he has starred in numerous Ramon Film Productions features, including Bad Black, Operation Wakaliga: Fate and Blood (2024), The Return of Uncle Benon, and Bukunja Tekunja Mitti: The Cannibals. He serves as a primary SFX makeup artist for Wakaliwood, creating highly realistic, DIY "bloody" makeup effects, prosthetic wounds, and simulated injuries using affordable, local materials. He has stepped behind the camera to direct and write local action projects, such as Precision: The Child Drug Trafficking (2017).