California City Streets Closed As Ugandan Filmmaker Hassan Mageye Shoots Immigration Drama

UgandaToday: California City Streets Closed As Ugandan Filmmaker Hassan Mageye Shoots Immigration Drama

By UgandaToday Reporter

Part of downtown Santa Rosa in California was temporarily transformed into a movie set on July 23, 2026, as award-winning Ugandan filmmaker Hassan Mageye filmed scenes for his latest feature, The Silence We Flee.

The independent film explores the deeply human and politically sensitive themes of immigration, asylum, deportation and the experiences of African immigrants in the United States.

Downtown Santa Rosa Turns Into Film Set

Authorities temporarily closed D Street between 2nd and 3rd streets to facilitate filming, with traffic diverted around the production area.

The scenes featured actors portraying US immigration enforcement officers, creating a realistic atmosphere that prompted city authorities to alert residents ahead of the shoot.

Santa Rosa officials issued notices in both English and Spanish, clarifying that people appearing in immigration-agent uniforms were actors and that no actual immigration enforcement operation was taking place.

The measures allowed the production to proceed while limiting disruption to residents, motorists and businesses in the area.

A Story Told By Immigrants

The Silence We Flee follows an African woman who seeks asylum in the United States after fleeing violence in her home country.

Her journey subsequently brings her into contact with immigration enforcement and the threat of deportation, while the story connects political and social realities in both the United States and Africa.

Mageye says the film’s perspective is strengthened by the fact that its creators and many of those involved in the production have personal or community connections to the immigrant experience.

“This is a movie of immigrants told by immigrants; so I think we are the better people to tell the story because where we are coming from and what is happening and how it’s been happening,” Mageye said.

The filmmaker has therefore positioned the production not merely as entertainment, but as a platform for examining the fears, hopes and struggles surrounding migration.

Nisha Kalema Takes Lead Role

Ugandan award-winning actress Nisha Kalema stars as Naomi, the film’s central character.

Kalema, who is also a producer and writer, has previously featured in films including The Tailor, Freedom and Veronica’s Wish.

For Kalema, playing Naomi carries a responsibility beyond performing a fictional character.

“I carry a voice; you cannot watch a mother, a daughter, someone’s child being snatched…I am here to be that person and represent that person,” Kalema said.

Her character embodies the human consequences behind immigration policies, bringing the experiences of vulnerable migrants and families to the centre of the narrative.

Patrick Mujjuuka Also Features

Another Ugandan actor, Patrick Mujjuuka, is part of the cast, playing a character known as Afande Toko.

Mujjuuka said the subject matter resonates with realities that people have encountered through personal experiences, conversations and reports.

“These are some of the things we have seen; some of them we have heard about and read and experienced,” he said.

His participation further strengthens the film’s Ugandan connection while contributing to a broader African perspective on migration and displacement.

Mageye’s Track Record In Social-Issue Films

The Silence We Flee adds to Mageye’s body of work focusing on serious social issues.

The filmmaker won Best Actor at the 2016 Uganda Film Festival for Invisible Cuffs, a production that also earned him the Best Screenplay award.

His latest project continues that tradition by turning the camera toward immigration, an issue that has remained particularly sensitive among immigrant communities in the United States amid debates over immigration enforcement and deportations.

Filming Spans Northern California And Uganda

Production for The Silence We Flee has taken place at several locations across Sonoma and Lake counties in Northern California.

The production is also expected to continue in Uganda, bringing part of the story back to the African setting at the heart of the protagonist’s journey.

The transcontinental production gives the film an opportunity to connect two worlds—Africa and America—through the experiences of people whose lives are shaped by migration.

Balancing Filmmaking With Public Safety

The Santa Rosa shoot also illustrates the logistical challenges involved in producing a film around a sensitive subject in a functioning city.

City authorities indicated that while they could not control the content of the filmmakers’ work, they could regulate the production’s impact on residents, businesses and traffic.

Consequently, traffic controls and public notifications were put in place to ensure residents understood what was happening on the streets.

The clarification that the apparent immigration agents were actors was particularly important given the subject matter of the film.

A Ugandan Story With Global Relevance

Through The Silence We Flee, Mageye and his cast are tackling questions that extend beyond borders: Why do people leave their homes? What happens when asylum seekers encounter immigration systems? And what does deportation mean for individuals and families caught between two countries?

By bringing a Ugandan filmmaking team into the heart of these conversations in California, the production places Uganda’s creative industry within a wider international storytelling space.

As filming progresses in the United States and later moves to Uganda, The Silence We Flee is shaping up as a cross-border production that uses cinema to examine one of the most consequential issues facing immigrant communities today.