''Queen of Katwe'' is a 2016 American
biographical
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...
sports
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
directed by
Mira Nair
Mira Nair (born 15 October 1957) is an Indian-American filmmaker based in New York City. Her production company, Mirabai Films, specializes in films for international audiences on Indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural sphe ...
and written by William Wheeler.
Starring
David Oyelowo
David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo ( ; born 1 April 1976) is a British actor, director and producer. His accolades include a Critics' Choice Award and two NAACP Image Awards as well as nominations for two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards ...
,
Lupita Nyong'o
Lupita Amondi Nyong'o (, ; ; born 1 March 1983) is a Kenyan-Mexican actress. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Lupita Nyong'o, several accolades, including an Academy Awards, Academy Award, and nominations for ...
, and
Madina Nalwanga, the film depicts the life of
Phiona Mutesi
Phiona Mutesi (born 28 March 1996) is a Ugandan chess player. She has represented Uganda at four Women's Chess Olympiads, and is one of the first titled female players in Ugandan chess history. Mutesi is the subject of a 2012 book and a 2016 fil ...
, a girl living in
Katwe
Katwe is an area in the city of Kampala, Uganda's capital.
Location
Katwe, located in Makindye Division, is bordered by Nakasero to the north, Nsambya to the east, Kibuye, Uganda, Kibuye and Makindye to the southeast, Ndeeba to the south and Meng ...
, a slum of
Kampala
Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...
, the capital of
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
. She learns to play chess and becomes a
Woman Candidate Master after her victories at
World Chess Olympiads.
Adapted from an
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
magazine article and book by
Tim Crothers
Tim Crothers is an American author. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, writing for the school paper, ''The Daily Tar Heel''. He was the former senior writer at ''Sports Illustrated''. He has authored ''The Queen of Katwe ...
, the film was produced by
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios uni ...
and
ESPN Films
ESPN Films, formerly known as ESPN Original Entertainment (EOE), is an American production company which produces and distributes sports films and documentaries. It is owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which ...
. ''Queen of Katwe'' was screened at the
2016 Toronto International Film Festival
The 41st annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 8 to 18 September 2016. The first announcement of films to be screened at the festival took place on 26 July. Almost 400 films were shown.
Awards
The festival's final awards were ...
.
The film had a
limited release
__FORCETOC__
Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
in the United States on September 23, 2016, before a
general theatrical release on September 30.
Plot
Living in
Katwe
Katwe is an area in the city of Kampala, Uganda's capital.
Location
Katwe, located in Makindye Division, is bordered by Nakasero to the north, Nsambya to the east, Kibuye, Uganda, Kibuye and Makindye to the southeast, Ndeeba to the south and Meng ...
, a slum in
Kampala
Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...
, Uganda, is a constant struggle for 10-year-old Phiona (
Madina Nalwanga), her mother Nakku Harriet (
Lupita Nyong'o
Lupita Amondi Nyong'o (, ; ; born 1 March 1983) is a Kenyan-Mexican actress. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Lupita Nyong'o, several accolades, including an Academy Awards, Academy Award, and nominations for ...
) and younger members of her family. She and her younger brother help their mother sell maize in the market. She also helps care for her baby brother. Her world changes one day when she meets Robert Katende (
David Oyelowo
David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo ( ; born 1 April 1976) is a British actor, director and producer. His accolades include a Critics' Choice Award and two NAACP Image Awards as well as nominations for two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards ...
) at a missionary program. Katende coaches soccer and teaches children to play
chess
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...
at a local center. Curious, Phiona approaches and learns the game. She becomes fascinated with the game and soon becomes a top player in the group under Katende's guidance.
Her coach, over the initial opposition of the local chess authorities, takes her and the team to a national school level tournament at a prestigious local school. The group initially finds itself ill at ease among the other participants and the more affluent surroundings. However, their talent wins the day and Phiona comes in first place.
The film then proceeds to trace the ups and downs of success at competitions and tournaments for Phiona and her fellow Pioneers. The struggles of life in Katwe are ever present and Phiona hopes that chess will provide a means of escape from Katwe for her and her family.
Phiona leads the Uganda team at the Chess Olympiad in Russia, confident that she will succeed in becoming a Grand Master, securing the necessary finances to lift her family from poverty. However, the competition proves too tough, and she yields to her Canadian opponent.
Phiona returns to Katwe, dejected and doubting her abilities. However, with the support of Coach Katende and the people of Katwe, she returns to chess, ultimately succeeding to the extent that she can purchase a home for her family.
Cast
*
Madina Nalwanga as
Phiona Mutesi
Phiona Mutesi (born 28 March 1996) is a Ugandan chess player. She has represented Uganda at four Women's Chess Olympiads, and is one of the first titled female players in Ugandan chess history. Mutesi is the subject of a 2012 book and a 2016 fil ...
*
David Oyelowo
David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo ( ; born 1 April 1976) is a British actor, director and producer. His accolades include a Critics' Choice Award and two NAACP Image Awards as well as nominations for two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards ...
as Robert Katende
*
Lupita Nyong'o
Lupita Amondi Nyong'o (, ; ; born 1 March 1983) is a Kenyan-Mexican actress. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Lupita Nyong'o, several accolades, including an Academy Awards, Academy Award, and nominations for ...
as Nakku Harriet
* Martin Kabanza as Mugabi Brian
* Taryn "Kay" Kyaze as Night, Phiona's older sister
* Ronald Ssemaganda as Ivan
* Ethan Nazario Lubega as Benjamin
* Nikita Pearl Waligwa as Gloria, Phiona's friend
* Edgar Kanyike as Joseph
*
Esther Tebandeke as Sara Katende
*
Peter Odeke
Odeke Peter Paul (born 21 November 1970) is a Ugandan film, voice and theatre actor, Radio personality, radio presenter and Voice acting, voice artist. He is not new to acting, having been exposed to stage drama in his primary and secondary scho ...
as Mr. Barumba
*
Sheebah Karungi
Sheebah Karungi (born November 11, 1989) is a Ugandan musician, dancer and actress who debuted her acting career in '' Queen of Katwe'' as Shakira. After quitting Obsessions, a dance group she joined in 2006, she rose to recognition upon the relea ...
as Shakira
*Joanitta Bewulira-Wandera as Mrs. Gali
Maurice Kirya
Maurice Kirya (born 4 November 1984) is a Ugandan singer, songwriter, actor, and humanitarian. He is a celebrated household name in East Africa with over a decade-long wealth of experience in the music industry.
The 2010 RFI (Radio France Interna ...
and
Ntare Mwine
Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine (born 1967) is an American stage and film actor, playwright, photographer and documentarian. He was credited by the short form Ntare Mwine through to his 2008 appearances in '' The Riches'', and has been credited with his f ...
have supporting roles as Theo and Tendo, respectively.
Gladys Oyenbot
Gladys Oyenbot is a Ugandan actress, singer and producer professionally known by her mononym Oyenbot. She is known for playing Dorotia on Mpeke Town (2018), and as Beatrice on the award winning drama series Yat Madit Yat Madit (2016). In 2020 ...
and
Rehema Nanfuka
Rehema Nanfuka (born 25 May 1986) is a Ugandan film, theatre and television actress, director, and filmmaker known for her roles in Imani, Veronica's Wish, Imbabazi, The Girl in the Yellow Jumper, Queen of Katwe, Imperial Blue among other ...
play minor roles as a shopkeeper and a nurse, respectively.
Additional Cast
*
Sarah Kisawuzi as Katende's Grandmother
*Richard Tuwangye as Dez
*
Joel Okuyo Prynce as Ggaba Merchant
*Russel Savadier as Russian Chess Official
*Dinaz Stafford
*Aaron Moloisi as Rwabushenyi Official
*
Carina Nel
Carina Nel (born 4 January 1988), is a South African actress. Started as a threatre actress, Nel later became a poula television actress particularly with the two soap operas ''Generations'' and ''7de Laan''.
Personal life
Nel was born on 4 Jan ...
as
Phiona Mutesi
Phiona Mutesi (born 28 March 1996) is a Ugandan chess player. She has represented Uganda at four Women's Chess Olympiads, and is one of the first titled female players in Ugandan chess history. Mutesi is the subject of a 2012 book and a 2016 fil ...
*
Maggie Benedict
Maggie Benedict (born in Pretoria on February 10, 1981) is a South African actress, writer and director. She studied acting at Pretoria Tech. Benedict is best known for playing the role of Akhona Miya on the SABC 1 soap opera '' Generations'' (2 ...
as Chess Federation Secretary
Production
Development
Tim Crothers
Tim Crothers is an American author. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, writing for the school paper, ''The Daily Tar Heel''. He was the former senior writer at ''Sports Illustrated''. He has authored ''The Queen of Katwe ...
wrote ''The Queen of Katwe: A Story of Life, Chess, and One Extraordinary Girl's Dream of Becoming a Grandmaster'', which chronicled
Phiona Mutesi
Phiona Mutesi (born 28 March 1996) is a Ugandan chess player. She has represented Uganda at four Women's Chess Olympiads, and is one of the first titled female players in Ugandan chess history. Mutesi is the subject of a 2012 book and a 2016 fil ...
's life. Published by ESPN in 2012, it was optioned that same year by
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios uni ...
.
Tendo Nagenda,
Walt Disney Studios' senior creative executive, developed the project into production. He happens to be ethnic Ugandan. With executive approval from studio president
Sean Bailey
Sean Bailey is an American film and television producer. Bailey is currently the president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, a role he has served since his appointment in 2010.
Career Early career
As a co-founder and executiv ...
,
[ Nagenda went to visit ]Mira Nair
Mira Nair (born 15 October 1957) is an Indian-American filmmaker based in New York City. Her production company, Mirabai Films, specializes in films for international audiences on Indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural sphe ...
at her Ugandan home to recruit her to direct a film about Mutesi. Nair was captivated by the story, stating, "I have always been surrounded by these local stories but hadn’t done anything in Uganda since 1991. I love any story about people who make something from what appears to be nothing."
Mira Nair met with Mutesi, her mother Harriet, and the chess group run by coach Robert Katende. She invited screenwriter William Wheeler to come to Kampala
Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...
to conduct interviews with the principal figures as a foundation for a screenplay. Nair filmed a high-concept
High concept is a type of artistic work that can be easily pitched with a succinctly stated premise. It can be contrasted with ''low concept'', which is more concerned with character development and other subtleties that are not as easily summa ...
short and presented it to Disney, to alleviate the studio's concerns about the film being entirely set in Africa.
Wheeler believed that the film could fit within the Disney tradition of films about "underdog" sports stories, noting that:
"we were trying to ... gently expand the idea of what a 'Disney film' could be. Disney was very open to wanting to tell an aspirational story about someone from someplace that is not at all familiar to Western audiences ... this could really fit into one of the things that they do very well – which is telling sports underdog stories and finding the ways the story naturally intersects with that genre of film."
Nair described ''Queen of Katwe'' as "a radical film for Disney in many ways.... It has beauty and barbarity side-by-side." In January 2015, Disney studio chairman Alan F. Horn
Alan Frederick Horn (born February 28, 1943) is an American entertainment industry executive. Horn became President and COO of Warner Bros. from 1999 to 2012. Horn next served as the chairman of Walt Disney Studios from 2012 to 2020. During his ...
greenlit the film into production for US$15 million.
Casting
In January 2015, David Oyelowo and Lupita Nyong'o were cast as Robert Katende and Harriet Mutesi, respectively. They were Nair's first choices for the roles. Nyong'o said that she had decided to play the part after reading the script's first ten pages, saying "It was the first time I felt really awakened by a script and super challenged." Oyelowo immediately accepted the role, seeing the film as a "subversive work", given the lack of diversity
Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to:
Business
*Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce
*Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers
* ...
in contemporary American cinema. Nair said that finding an actress to play Phiona was the most difficult. The casting search lasted from July to December 2014 and the production team auditioned nearly 700 girls. The casting director found Madina Nalwanga in a community dance class. The 15-year-old Ugandan dancer was cast as Phiona.
Filming
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
began in April 2015. The film was shot in the Katwe slums in Kampala, Uganda and in Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
, South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
. More than one hundred Ugandans were hired as extras for the street scenes; eighty had no prior experience with cameras. Nair set up an acting boot camp to help prepare the children for their scenes. Most professional Ugandan actors settled for roles as extras, including Gladys Oyenbot
Gladys Oyenbot is a Ugandan actress, singer and producer professionally known by her mononym Oyenbot. She is known for playing Dorotia on Mpeke Town (2018), and as Beatrice on the award winning drama series Yat Madit Yat Madit (2016). In 2020 ...
who acted as Lupita's stand-in double.
Nair and cinematographer Sean Bobbitt
Sean Francis Bobbitt, B.S.C. (born 29 November 1958) is an American-born British cinematographer.
Early life
Sean Bobbitt was born in Corpus Christi, Texas on 29 November 1958.
Career
Bobbitt started his career as a news and documentary camera ...
used different visual approaches for the various matches which Mutesi plays. Katende, who was present at the shoot, designed the games, while Nair and Bobbitt worked on each shot. The chess scenes were complicated because the call sheet contained actual chess moves. Nair and editor Barry Brown cut the scenes to create some drama. Production wrapped in June 2015 after 54 days of shooting.
Music
The musical score for ''Queen of Katwe'' was composed by Alex Heffes
Alex Heffes (; born 2 September 1971) is a British film composer. His film scores include those for the BAFTA-winning '' Touching the Void'', and Oscar-winning movies ''One Day in September'', ''The Last King of Scotland'', and ''Inside Job''. He ...
. Heffes added that "It's a very thematic and gentle score that is more orchestral than something like ''Roots
A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients.
Root or roots may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...
'', although it's set in Africa ..There are plenty of authentic Ugandan needle drop tracks in the film to set the scene so the score could concentrate more on the music story telling."
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...
wrote and recorded the song " Back to Life" for the film; it was released on September 9, 2016 by RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
. The official soundtrack album was released on September 23 by Walt Disney Records
Walt Disney Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label releases soundtrack albums from The Walt Disney Company's motion picture studios, television series, theme parks, and traditional studio albums produced by its r ...
, with its deluxe edition also releasing the same day.
Release
''Queen of Katwe'' had its world premiere at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival
The 41st annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 8 to 18 September 2016. The first announcement of films to be screened at the festival took place on 26 July. Almost 400 films were shown.
Awards
The festival's final awards were ...
on September 10. Disney held the corporate premiere at the El Capitan Theatre
El Capitan Theatre is a fully restored movie palace at 6838 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood. The theater and adjacent Hollywood Masonic Temple (now known as the El Capitan Entertainment Centre) is owned by The Walt Disney Company and serves as th ...
in Hollywood on September 20, with another screening at the Urban World Festival on September 22. The African premieres were held in Kampala on October 1 and Johannesburg on October 5. The film had its European debut at the 2016 BFI London Film Festival
The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shor ...
on October 9. Another screening was held at the Morelia International Film Festival
The Morelia International Film Festival (''Spanish'': ''Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia''; FICM) was founded in 2003 in the city of Morelia, Michoacán, México. It is an annual event that takes place during the second week of October.
F ...
in Mexico on October 22. On November 12, it was screened at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival
The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is us ...
and at the Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival on the 24th.
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., doing business as Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, is the home entertainment distribution arm of The Walt Disney Company. The division handles the distribution of Disney's films, television series, an ...
released the film on Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
and DVD on January 31, 2017, with a digital release on January 10.
Reception
Box office
''Queen of Katwe'' opened on September 23 as a limited release in the United States, with an estimated Friday total of $82,000 averaging $1,577 per screen across 52 selected theaters. By the opening weekend, it earned $304,933 averaging $5,864 per screen. It opened on wide release on September 30 to 1,242 screens, and went on to gross $2.5 million in the first week.
Critical response
''Queen of Katwe'' received positive reviews from critics, with David Oyelowo and Lupita Nyong'o's performances receiving unanimous praise. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
gives the film an approval rating of 94% based on 191 reviews and an average rating of 7.40/10. The website's critical consensus states: "''Queen of Katwe'' is a feel-good movie of uncommon smarts and passion, and Lupita Nyong'o and David Oyelowo's outstanding performances help elevate the film past its cliches." On Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the film has a normalized rating of 73 out of 100 based on reviews from 40 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore
CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data.
Background
Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale.
Accolades
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
Interview with Phiona Mutesi and Robert Katende
by impactmania
{{DEFAULTSORT:Queen Of Katwe
2016 biographical drama films
2016 films
American biographical drama films
Biographical films about sportspeople
Drama films based on actual events
ESPN Films films
2010s feminist films
Films about chess
Films about poverty
Films directed by Mira Nair
Films scored by Alex Heffes
Films set in 2007
Films set in 2008
Films set in 2009
Films set in 2010
Films set in 2011
Films set in 2012
Films set in Uganda
Films set in Russia
Films shot in South Africa
Films shot in Uganda
American sports drama films
Sports films based on actual events
Walt Disney Pictures films
Cultural depictions of Ugandan women
Cultural depictions of chess players
Mirabai Films films
2016 drama films
Films about mother–daughter relationships
2010s American films