
The film is directed by Mira Nairr from on a script by William Wheeler based on the book by Tim Crothers. This young girl rules: long live the Queen of Katwe! This is a brief documentary on Fiona, a 15 year old Chess Prodigy from the slums of Kampala, Uganda who discovered Chess as a homeless child in search of food The Queen of Katwe – A short Documentary about Phiona Mutesi “Queen of Katwe is the colorful true story of a young girl selling corn on the streets of rural Uganda whose world rapidly changes when she is introduced to the game of chess, and, as a result of the support she receives from her family and community, is instilled with the confidence and determination she needs to pursue her dream of becoming an international chess champion.”Īnd here’s a short documentary about the girl the story is based on:
#What is the movie queen of katwe about movie#
“It is a reminder that there is more to us than corrupt, power-hungry politicians, hospitals without electricity where doctors operate on patients under torchlight, disease, defiance, destitution and the destruction of dreams.”Īssociated Press journalist Adelle Kalakouti contributed to this report.There’s a new trailer for Queen of Katwe, the upcoming inspiring biography drama movie starring Madina Nalwanga, Lupita Nyong’o, and David Oyelowo: “The biggest benefit from (Queen of Katwe) is that here is a film that puts forward a truly Ugandan story of hope, of discovery, of small people pulling themselves up by the bootstraps, taking on and conquering the world,” said Daniel Kalinaki, a columnist with Uganda’s Daily Monitor newspaper. Timothy Kalyegira, a prominent social critic in Uganda, drew widespread anger when he wrote online that “Queen of Katwe” is plagued by “lackluster acting by the Ugandans” and “the ineffective sequence of the scenes.” The film has received mostly favorable reviews in Uganda, where it premiered earlier this month at a red-carpet event in which Ugandans, many of whom had never acted before, shared the limelight with stars like Academy Award winner Nyong’o. She’s also worked hard and believed in herself and taken all the guidance and counsel given to her.”

Of Mutesi, who now attends boarding school and is a candidate for college, he said: “There is something special about Phiona because, first and foremost, she is a girl. “They would not have any way out of the slums, but they have been able, through chess, to travel, to go for events, to go to different places.” “Chess, I can say, is very important because it has given the children and the community a platform that they didn’t have before,” he said. Many children have been knocking on his door following the release of “Queen of Katwe,” Katende said. Robert Katende, who started the academy in 2004 and became Mutesi’s mentor, now has chess academies in other Kampala slums, with former students acting as instructors when he is not available. That is why I come here.” She had been forced to miss school for a few weeks because she lacked tuition, she said, but the chess academy is free. “Chess is like a brain booster,” one of its students, 11-year-old Lydia Nakaweesa, said shyly.

The Som Chess Academy is an unexpected oasis of hope in the downtrodden community. The grade school where some scenes were filmed is makeshift wood structures in the dirt. Streams of raw effluent follow footpaths.

The film’s pathos will be familiar to those who have lived in Katwe, where poverty drives young people to despair, if not violent crime. Mutesi goes on to win a local championship, compete at events abroad and earn enough money to buy a house for her mother. Mutesi falls under the spell of an unassuming chess teacher, played by British actor David Oyelowo, who encourages the teenager to learn the game despite the skepticism of her mother, who warns her not to dream big because “you will be disappointed.” After Mutesi’s brother is hit by a speeding motorcycle and hospitalized, the mother, played by Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o, stealthily pulls the boy from his hospital bed because she is not able to pay the bill. “Queen of Katwe” follows the rise of Mutesi as a chess player amid grinding poverty, with her single mother barely able to support her and her two siblings. has the faces I know,” said Barbara Nassozi, a science teacher at a Katwe school where some scenes were filmed.
