By Lilian Ntege
27-year-old Doreen Mirembe describes herself as a very simple, down-to-earth and happy person.
Mirembe is a dental assistant at Pan Dental Surgery. She is also an actress and filmmaker. She started acting in stage plays at Kisubi High School and studied film and script writing in 2015 with Maisha Film Lab. Mirembe started her working life while in senior two.
“I worked during every school holiday at Epic video library, which was located at KPC building, as a shop attendant,” she says. “The fact that I grew up in very humble background drove me to work hard and become very focused on achieving my goals.”
She worked at the video library for a few years and used her earnings to pay part of her school fees and also buy some personal needs. She says the hard-working culture was imparted to her by her parents.
“We have a farm at home and I did a lot of farm work, taking care of cattle, among other things. My father is a farmer,” she explains.
After her senior six, she took a dead year and then joined a dental school and a filming school.
“I have always loved acting since I was a child and didn’t want to kill my passion. So, I decided to go into its depth and understand it fully,” she says.
“What motivated me most was the fact that Ugandans haven’t fully appreciated their film industry. They, instead, look to Hollywood, Nollywood and Bollywood, rather than their own,” says this budding actress.
Mirembe has worked with various film groups including with Mariam Ndagire where she featured in the film, Belated Trouble. She also played roles in Matt Bish’s No Lie, Dileman’s Love Makanika and Kennedy Kahire’s New Intensions. Mirembe also plays a cameo role in the yet-to-be-released Queen Of Katwe, and acted in TV series such as Deception where she plays Dr Stephanie.
“Acting is all about the love and passion for it because one has to put oneself in someone else’s character in such a way that they become that real person, which isn’t an easy thing to do,” says Mirembe.
Because of her impressive performance, she was signed to work on some television commercials such as the Mukwano White Star soap, Sweet Fit pants and Jesa milk. She eventually decided to set up Amani House, her own film company.
“I set up Amani because my goal as a producer in the film industry is to raise the standard of film production by telling progressive African stories as seen through the eyes of Africans. But, of course, with the help of those who know more about film,” she adds.
“So far, I’ve managed to produce my first film, A Dog Story. Although it was an experimental film, it did very well, and I am proud of it,” she says, with a grin.
“I work on three jobs any given day. I have to report to the clinic daily, while I also have to consider my acting career, as well as my family.”
She says accomplishing her jobs is sometimes hectic, because she often does her make up as she rides on a boda boda. Mirembe is the fourth-born child in the Kasule family of Nakwelo village, Gayaza.
She went to Mpererwe primary school, then Namirembe Infant School where she did her PLE. She joined Mukono Fairland for her O-level and completed her A-level at Kisubi High School, Namulanda.
She then joined Pan Dental Surgery, and while here, pursued a diploma in Dental Assisting with Stratford Career Institute with a few training sessions in South Africa.
At the same time, she studied at Maisha Film Lab to be a scriptwriter. On marriage, she flashes a smile and says she is a mother of two and urges young people to place emphasis on marrying their friends.
“The friendship and love that I share with my husband has kept our marriage afloat. Even when we get mad at each other, through friendship, we manage to get over it immediately.”
Mirembe is irritated by men who take women as their inferiors and end up mistreating them. She loves drama, acting and watching movies and can’t forget her family.
“Mirembe is a very organized and focused young lady. She very well knows what she wants, and above all, is a go-getter,” Mariam Ndagire, her mentor, remarks.
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