When Doreen Mirembe walks onto a film set, she brings more than just talent. She brings a story of transformation, and unwavering passion. Today, she’s a celebrated producer, director, screenwriter, and actress. But her journey began in a dental clinic, far from the glitz of the screen. She is the first woman on Pearl Magic to play lead actress and producer at the same time.
In season 3 of Pearl Magic Prime’s Home Of Our Stars, Mirembe sat down with host Judithiana Namazzi to talk about her journey from dentistry to an award winning filmmaker.
For Mirembe, drama was not an acquired taste, it was an innate calling. “Drama has always been part of me. I believe I was born to do this. I don’t see myself doing anything else in the world. This is what I have always loved to do, “she said.
Growing up on the outskirts of Kampala, Mirembe’s passion for the arts was met with skepticism especially from her parents. Like many Ugandan children, she was encouraged to pursue a serious career in medicine, law, or education. But her love for storytelling was unshakable.
When she finally came to Kampala for studies. She took on two part-time jobs to support herself one of which was at a video library on Bombo Road. That seemingly small opportunity changed everything.
“At that library, I was introduced to films because I had to watch them in order to sell them. I realised that I loved it and I was doing it with passion. I would watch like 10 movies a day,” she recalled.
Because of her love for film, Mirembe started going to National Theater and joined different film clubs without the knowledge of her family.
Her persistence paid off when she landed a role in the drama series Deception, but at the time, she struggled to balance school, work, and acting. She would dash from the clinic during lunch breaks, and hop on motorcycles to reach sets. “Whenever I had scenes to shoot, I would sneak out from work to go on set. I would literally do my makeup on a boda boda,” she laughed.
The Deception crew sensing her dedication accommodated her chaos. They would prioritize her scenes, wrapping them swiftly so she could race back before her boss noticed her absence. Colleagues at the clinic became her unsung heroes by covering shifts and fabricating excuses for her.
“Thankfully, I had a strong support system,” Mirembe said. “They would stand in for me so the bosses don’t get to know that I wasn’t around.” She added that the reason she still kept her dental job while chasing her film career was because by that time, film was not making so much money, and required one to invest in themselves while getting almost nothing in return, but because it is what she loved, she had to persist.
In Damalie, Mirembe not only stars but also shapes the story line as a screen writer and producer. Interestingly, her character of Damalie mirrors her own life of a determined woman striving for the best for her family. “Both Damalie and Doreen are go-getters. They don’t want to be broke. They want the best things for their families. They love their children and want the perfect family.”
Her writing process also draws heavily from real life experiences where while in the writers’ room, she most of the times tries to refer to herself while laying down story lines for the show.
“I try to refer to myself and the things I have experienced. I don’t want to write things I have not seen. I try to relate to what is happening and what I have seen. I think that is why the story is so relatable because these things have happened to people,” she told Judithiana.
Her background in medicine as a dental nurse also influenced her storytelling having always wanted to do a medical drama even before pitching Damalie to MultiChoice Uganda.
“I have lived my life around hospitals since I was a child. I have seen how doctors behave, I have worked in a hospital and I understand the environment. There is a lot of untapped drama there,” she revealed.
However, the logistical challenges of hiring medical consultants and training actors in complex medical terminology made her pivot. Instead, she merged the idea into a family drama with ties to the medical business bringing both authenticity and relatability.
Damalie features renowned actor Philip Luswata who acts as Pinto, a casual worker at the hospital. Mirembe noted that working alongside Luswata has been one of the highlights of her career because he is someone she has idolized since childhood.
She vividly remembers watching Luswata as the first Ugandan to appear in an Mnet drama and it is from there that she knew it was possible for everyone.
When she later approached him with her first script, Luswata welcomed her warmly and was always willing and available to guide her through her film-making journey.
Today, she beams with pride to share scenes with him. “It is an achievement working with a person I have always looked up to as a girl. On set, he always comes on time, knows his lines, and adds his expertise where necessary.”
For young actors dreaming of a career in Uganda’s film industry, Mirembe’s advice is blunt; “Wake up. We sleep so much in Uganda,” she said. She insists that success requires sacrifice, resilience and relentless work ethic.
