Since it takes place in Africa, this shouldn’t be noteworthy, but given the minuscule percentage of people of color working in major studio films, it’s a point worth noting and celebrating.Īlso Read: Lupita Nyong'o and David Oyelowo in Talks for Disney's 'Queen of Katwe' What stands out powerfully in this engaging film is that it is a Hollywood production starring only black actors. Cinematographer Sean Bobbitt’s hand-held camera brings the sprawling city of Kampala to vivid, color-drenched life: Textures feel palpable. The Afrocentric soundtrack and score by Alex Heffes (“Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”), utilizing native Ugandan instruments, is delightfully infectious. The story is based on the eponymous book by Tim Crothers, with a screenplay by William Wheeler (“The Reluctant Fundamentalist”). Discovered at a dance academy, the 14-year-old Nalwanga was a bit older than the character, but she inhabits the role with striking dignity and grace. She deftly conveys Phiona’s self-possession, intelligence and growing sense that anything is possible if you work hard enough. In her first acting role, Nalwanga is terrific. Scenes focused on the checkered game board won’t make pulses race, but the expressive face of young Nalwanga and her descriptive body language makes the tale compelling.Īlso Read: Aziz Ansari, John Oliver, Lupita Nyong'o Among 'Billy on the Street' Season 5 Guests Let’s be clear: Little about chess makes it a riveting spectator sport. Within two years she becomes Uganda’s junior champion, and learns to read. Katende, trained as a civil engineer, sees Phiona’s potential and fights for her inclusion in tournaments, as well as for his other team members.ĭespite being illiterate, Phiona rises rapidly through the ranks, playing against privileged and educated young people who seem to take their good fortune for granted. Phiona’s keen intelligence and fierce determination render her a natural, and her aptitude for the game is astounding. She follows her brother and is immediately drawn to the game, with its focus on reasoning and innovation, and the spirit of heady competition. One day her brother Brian (Martin Kabanza) happens upon a church-sponsored chess program run by Robert Katende ( David Oyelowo). See Video: Watch First 'Queen of Katwe' Trailer: Lupita Nyong'o and the Joy of Chess When we meet her, she is living on a subsistence level with her strong-willed mother Harriet ( Lupita Nyong’o) and three siblings. The nation’s urban life is vividly evoked in the tale of 9-year old Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga), a girl from the slums of Kampala, who becomes a national chess champion.
The director, known for her vibrantly beautiful films, has had a home in Uganda for nearly three decades, and she is also the founder of a film school there. “Queen of Katwe,” which chronicles the true story of a young female Ugandan chess champion, is just such a tale.Īnd Mira Nair, who deftly captured the visual aesthetic and rhythms of foreign cultures in films like “Monsoon Wedding,” “Salaam Bombay!” and “Mississippi Masala,” is probably the ideal match of filmmaker to material. But some stories are simply that: inspiring and heartwarming. Even the word “inspirational” has gotten a bad rap. Films that inspire and warm our hearts are often dismissed as manipulative, treacly or sentimental.
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