The Woman Who Poked the Leopard 2025

You can handcuff the body but not the spirit

Directed by Patience Nitumwesiga

Despite fearing for her life, Ugandan medical anthropologist, poet, and queer rights activist Stella Nyanzi confronts the authoritarian rule of President Yoweri Museveni in Uganda through provocative poetry, “radical rudeness,” and acts of defiant protest. After being arrested and imprisoned for criticizing the government, she refuses to be silenced and continues her fight for political change and LGBTQ+ rights. Following Nyanzi through her activism, imprisonment, and political ambitions, the film also reveals the personal cost of her outspoken struggle, exploring how her fierce public battles and powerful personality affect the lives of her children and family while offering a broader portrait of contemporary Uganda.