
Overview
This biopic of Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga) traces her journey from the Kampala slum of Katwe, where she is forced to abandon her formal schooling at the age of nine, to the upper echelons of the chess world after she develops an interest in the game at a youth-outreach program run by Robert Katende (David Oyelowo). Lupita Nyong'o co-stars as Mutesi's mother, who worries that her daughter's dreams of becoming a chess champion are a frivolous distraction from real life. Produced as a joint venture between Disney and ESPN Films, QUEEN OF KATWE was directed by Mira Nair (MONSOON WEDDING), and was adapted from a nonfiction book by sportswriter Tim Crothers, who became acquainted with Mutesi's story while on assignment for ESPN.
Awards:
Main Cast & Crew:
Mira Nair - Director
David Oyelowo
Details
- Format: Blu-ray (Digitally Mastered in HD, Digital Theater System, AC-3, Dolby, Dubbed)
- Run Time: 105
- UPC: 786936852677
- Genre: DRAMA
- Rating: PG (MPAA)
- Release Date: January 2017
Movie Reviews
Reviews:
"Director Mira Nair has a proven ability to find beauty in the most desperate of circumstances, and QUEEN OF KATWE is no different. Throughout the film, she makes stunning use of the brightly colored patterns of traditional African clothing..." -- Grade: B - 09/22/2016 A.V. Club
3 stars out of 4 -- "Oyelowo’s work here is subtle but so consistent....Opposite him, Nyong’o is phenomenal." - 09/23/2016 RogerEbert.com
"Nalwanga is extremely effective and naturally ebullient....Phiona’s story really is inspiring." - 09/22/2016 Los Angeles Times
"Ms. Nalwanga’s watchful, quiet presence conveys both shyness and determination, a habit of humility in tension with an almost superhuman intelligence." - 09/22/2016 New York Times
3 stars out of 4 -- "[T]he film -- laced with grit and grace -- hits you like a shot in the heart. Nair catches the thrum of real life without skimping on the hardships that comes with lack of food and education..." - 09/22/2016 Rolling Stone
"Lupita Nyong’o finally gets a movie role worthy of her status as an Oscar winner....She’s magnificent." - 09/22/2016 Boston Globe
3 stars out of 5 -- "Mutesi is well played by Madina Nalwanga: calm, watchful, impassive." - 10/20/2016 The Guardian
4 stars out of 5 -- "Mira Nair’s unabashedly heart-string-tugging drama, her best movie in over a decade, tells the true story of Phiona Mutesi." - 10/17/2016 Empire
"[T]he film’s streaks of realism -- not fantasy -- are what make it such a genuine pleasure to watch." - 09/27/2016 The Atlantic