Queen of Katwe is a biographical film about the life of Phiona Mutesi, an Ugandan female who went on to become a Woman Candidate Master in chess.
The film is directed by female Indian American director Mira Nair, who has created other great works such as Mississippi Masala and Monsoon Wedding. The film introduces Madina Nalwanga as the titular role, Golden Globe nominee David Oyelowo as Robert Katende, Phiona’s coach, and Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o as Nakku Harriet, Phiona’s mother.
I had the privilege of getting special screening tickets to see the movie five days before its release date, with a special director and cast Q&A included at the end.
The film is special in that Madina Nalwanga and the person she portrays, Phiona Mutesi, both have similar experiences growing up in the slums of Uganda. Both sold corn, or maize, and faced similar hardships, so Nalwanga’s performance really reflected the actual life in Uganda. On top of that, director Mira Nair spent most of her life in Uganda and was surprised to learn that while filming, the events illustrated in the film occurred not too far from her house and around the area she lived. In addition, the film was shot entirely in the slums of Katwe itself, so the settings witnessed is the actual Katwe rather than a constructed set. The film also uitilized and involved the community, who provided information and were used as extras as well.
It’s also important to note that Phiona Mutesi and the major characters involved are still alive today and are continuing to make contributions in Uganda.
Overall, I can confidently say that Queen of Katwe is one of Disney’s greatest movie masterpieces of 2016 and I highly recommend watching the film which gets released in theaters September 23.
Watch the trailer: