WHO’S IN IT?
Madina Nalwanga (film debut), David Oyelowo (Selma), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years A Slave), Ntare Mwine (Blood Diamond), Maurice Kirya (film debut), Esther Tebandeke (film debut), Taryn Kyaze (film debut), Peter Odeke (Ezra), Charity Rose Pimer (film debut)
WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?
Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding), director; William Wheeler (The Reluctant Fundamentalist), writer; Lydia Dean Pilcher (The Darjeeling Limited), producer; Alex Heffes (The Last King of Scotland), composer; Sean Bobbitt (12 Years A Slave), cinematographer; Barry Alexander Brown (25th Hour), editor
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
In the impoverished slums of Katwe in Kampala, Uganda, 10-year-old Phiona Mutesi (Nalwanga) sells vegetables in the street with her fiercely determined mother Harriet (Nyong’o). However, a chance meeting with missionary Robert Katende (Oyelowo) leads to a growing fascination with chess, which Katende begins to mentor her in. Soon, she starts competing in local chess competitions, and eventually wins the hearts and minds of many people in her village, including her devoted mother…
IN ONE SENTENCE, WHY SHOULD YOU BE EXCITED?
Queen of Katwe tells the exciting and inspiring story of an impoverished Ugandan child who becomes a chess prodigy, which might not seem that exciting, but for anyone who knows the game of chess, you will know the excitement and tension that can come from a mere game of brains and wits.
