California city streets closed for Ugandan movie shoot

Authorities in Santa Rosa, California, temporarily closed part of the city centre to allow Ugandan filmmaker Hassan Mageye to shoot scenes for a new movie about immigration and deportation in the United States.

The production turned part of downtown Santa Rosa into a film set on July 23, 2026, as actors staged scenes depicting US immigration agents.

D Street between 2nd and 3rd streets was closed during the filming, with traffic diverted from the area.

The scenes were realistic enough for Santa Rosa authorities to warn residents before filming started. The city issued notices in English and Spanish explaining that people dressed as immigration agents were actors and that no immigration enforcement operation was taking place.

The scenes form part of The Silence We Flee, an independent feature film written and directed by award-winning Ugandan filmmaker Mageye.

The movie follows an African woman who seeks asylum in the United States after fleeing violence at home. Her story later confronts immigration enforcement, deportation and political turmoil spanning the US and Africa.

Production has taken place at several locations in Sonoma and Lake counties in Northern California, with another part of the film expected to be shot in Uganda.

Mageye said the project draws much of its strength from immigrants telling a story that reflects experiences familiar to their communities.

“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.

Ugandan actress Nisha Kalema plays the lead character, Naomi. Kalema is an award-winning actress, producer and writer whose previous films include The Tailor, Freedom and Veronica's Wish.

She said her role goes beyond entertainment because the film gives her an opportunity to represent people affected by immigration enforcement.

“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.

Ugandan actor Patrick Mujjuuka also features in the production as Afande Toko.

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

Mageye has built a career around films dealing with social issues. He won Best Actor at the 2016 Uganda Film Festival for Invisible Cuffs, which also earned him the Best Screenplay award.

With The Silence We Flee, the filmmaker has turned his attention to immigration at a time when enforcement and deportations have generated anxiety among immigrant communities in the US.

The sensitivity of the subject prompted Santa Rosa officials to take unusual steps before allowing the downtown scenes to proceed.

City officials said they could not restrict the content of the film but could manage the production's effect on residents and traffic. They therefore issued public notices and arranged traffic controls around the set.

The production is expected to continue in Uganda, bringing the African part of the story to the country at the centre of its lead character's journey.