Mira nair queen of katwe movie#

It is set in Africa, it features an all-black cast - which is still, in 2016, a rare sight in mainstream American cinema. It helped him evade a grim future that is all but inevitable when you are born into poverty.ДЄnd poverty is same all over the world - from the streets of Bombay to the alleys of Sonagachi to the slums of Katwe. But for those of you who have, you know that you can never, till the time your memory fades away, forget young Avijit.ДЄvijit was born into a brothel, but during the course of the film, he discovered that he was a gifted photographer. Have you seen it? If you havenвЂ™t, youвЂ™re in for one of the most moving cinematic experiences ever. Having seen Katwe, the one film that kept coming to mind was Born into Brothels. Young Madina Nalwanga is a star in the making. She doesnвЂ™t know what chess is yet, but soon enough, she вЂ“ and the world вЂ“ will discover her prodigious talent. She survives in a cruel world, a world in which hope comes and goes like the rain that washes away the homes in her slum. She is so similar to Chaipau, NairвЂ™s protagonist from Salaam Bombay! Just like him, she is illiterate, and just like him she is feisty and intelligent. She was born into extreme poverty in the Ugandan town of Katwe, selling corn at traffic signals and wondering if life were any better as a boy. It is one of the best films of the year.ДЄs fantastical it may seem, it always takes a true story to inspire such art вЂ“ and Phiona MetusiвЂ™s true story is as unbelievable as they come.

Mira nair queen of katwe movie#

This movie is as much a romantic homage to the melodramas of the past as it is a radical, path-breaking piece of modern filmmaking. On first glace, it doesnвЂ™t appear to be like any film sheвЂ™s made before, but look closely and you will find the same themes вЂ“ family, feminism, identity - passed from one film to another, like secret recipes from mothers to daughters. The last time she was this good was in The Namesake. Queen of Katwe is NairвЂ™s best film in almost a decade. It took almost 20 years, but Mira Nair made the incredible journey from the slums of Bombay to the slums of Katwe. It took Mira Nair almost 20 years to go back to her rootsвЂ¦ It took turbulent flights with her Amelia Earhart biopic, frequent failure at the box office, the euphoria of Punjabi weddings, and Bengali existentialism but it all led to this. And so to go there and to have that environment to work from really did sober us and enliven us.Cast - David Oyelowo, Lupita NyongвЂ™o, Madina Nalwanga The slum of Katwe is a very difficult place to live, but you see these people living there with dignity and making it day by day. The film was entirely shot in Uganda and South Africa.Дescribing the film, Nyong'o said: 'This is a story about the commitment to a dream even in the most discouraging of situations. Russel Savadier as the Russian Chess OfficialДirector Mira Nair decided to adapt The Queen of the Katwe book into a film after making a documentary about the life of the man who trained Phiona Mutesi, Robert Katende.Lupita Nyong'o as Harriet Mutesi, Phiona's mother.David Oyelowo as Robert Katende, a missionary who teaches chess to Phiona.Madina Nalwanga as Phiona Mutesi, a 10-year-old girl with a natural talent for chess.Her mother eventually realizes that Phiona has a chance to excel and teams up with Katende to help her fulfill her extraordinary potential, escape a life of poverty and save her family. She quickly advances through the ranks in tournaments, but breaks away from her family to focus on her own life. As Phiona begins to succeed in local chess competitions, Katende teaches her to read and write in order to pursue schooling. Recognizing PhionaвЂ™s natural aptitude for chess and the fighting spirit sheвЂ™s inherited from her mother, Katende begins to mentor her, but Harriet is reluctant to provide any encouragement, not wanting to see her daughter disappointed. Phiona is impressed by the intelligence and wit the game requires and immediately shows potential. Chess requires a good deal of concentration, strategic thinking and risk taking, all skills which are applicable in everyday life, and Katende hopes to empower youth with the game. When Phiona meets Robert Katende, a soccer player turned missionary who teaches local children chess, she is captivated. Her mother, Harriet, is fiercely determined to take care of her family and works tirelessly selling vegetables in the market to make sure her children are fed and have a roof over their heads. For 10-year-old Phiona Mutesi and her family, life in the impoverished slum of Katwe in Kampala, Uganda, is a constant struggle.