Phiona is impressed by the intelligence and wit the game requires and immediately shows potential. When Phiona meets Robert Katende (David Oyelowo, Selma), a soccer player turned missionary who teaches local children chess, she is captivated. Her mother Harriet (Lupita Nyong’o, Oscar winner for 12 Years a Slave) 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 (Madina Nalwanga) and her family, life in the impoverished slum of Katwe in Kampala, Uganda, is a constant struggle. “I wonder why? None of the students wanted their travel booked they just wanted her.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.
I also worked for her (Nairs’) film school as a production coordinator.” Nair joked.
“I was part of the crew on ‘The Constant Gardener’ a few years ago. Lupita was asked if she had any experience shooting in Africa. You Can Be Discovered Anywhere Working Any Job All those things made me want to be a part of it.”ĥ. “And then I have a four-year-old daughter as well … I read this and it just felt like a beautiful love letter to my daughter.
Oyelow gushed about his children igniting his desire to see this story brought to the screen. Make Art for the People You Love and You’ll be Rewarded Two-Fold They would say, ‘What? Chess? A Ugandan girl?’ But Disney did it.”Ĥ. Help can Come From the Most Unlikely Sourcesĭavid Oyelow was taken aback after reading the “Queen of Katwe” script that Disney would be taking on this project, “This is exactly the kind of film that myself or Lupita Nyong’o or Mira would put on our backs for 10 years and try to get made and no one would want to make it. That captures the joy and dignity of everyday people … That is the story of an Africa that we never see on our screens.”ģ. That’s the story of everyday life in Kupala, Uganda. And it took her mother, Harriet, and her whole street, literally, to harness the power that Phiona had, and has, in her. It took a teacher, the remarkable coach, Robert Katende, to understand her genius. “It also struck me that it took a village. Nair continued speaking about what inspired her to tackle this project. Nair said she liked the story because, “I was just struck by this plucky girl who refused to stay in the little place that she belonged - that she was born into - and dreamed of larger things.” Sometimes the Best Story is in Your Own Backyardįilm director Mira Nair lives in Uganda 15 minutes from Katwe, but the story came to her through Tendo Nagenda, a Ugandan Vice President at Disney. Here are some of the highlights from that discussion.ġ. Throughout the Q and A portion, each creator dropped some knowledge on the crowd. Both Mutesi and her teacher Robert Katende, were in attendance. ” The film is based on the true story of Phiona Mutesi, who became a champion chess master after selling corn on the street. Recently, New York Film Academy students had an opportunity to attend a screening and live Q&A with the cast and crew of Disney’s “Queen of Katwe.
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