Queen of Katwe explained

Queen of Katwe
Director:Mira Nair
Screenplay:William Wheeler
Music:Alex Heffes
Cinematography:Sean Bobbitt
Editing:Barry Alexander Brown
Distributor:Walt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures
Runtime:124 minutes[1]
Country:United States
Language:English
Luganda
Budget:$15 million[2]
Gross:$10.4 million[3]

Queen of Katwe is a 2016 American biographical sports drama film[4] directed by Mira Nair and written by William Wheeler.[5] Starring David Oyelowo, Lupita Nyong'o, and Madina Nalwanga, the film depicts the life of Phiona Mutesi, a girl living in Katwe, a slum of Kampala, the capital of Uganda. She learns to play chess and becomes a Woman Candidate Master after her victories at World Chess Olympiads.[6]

Adapted from an ESPN magazine article and book by Tim Crothers, the film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and ESPN Films. Queen of Katwe was screened at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.[7] The film had a limited release in the United States on September 23, 2016, before a general theatrical release on September 30.[8]

Plot

Living in Katwe, a slum in Kampala, Uganda, is a constant struggle for 10-year-old Phiona (Madina Nalwanga), her mother Nakku Harriet (Lupita Nyong'o) 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) at a missionary program. Katende coaches football and teaches children to play chess 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 become a Grandmaster, securing the necessary finances to lift her family out of 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

Maurice Kirya and Ntare Mwine have supporting roles as Theo[10] and Tendo, respectively. Gladys Oyenbot and Rehema Nanfuka play minor roles as a shopkeeper and a nurse, respectively.

Additional Cast

Production

Development

Tim Crothers wrote The Queen of Katwe: A Story of Life, Chess, and One Extraordinary Girl's Dream of Becoming a Grandmaster, which chronicled Phiona Mutesi's life. Published by ESPN in 2012, it was optioned that same year by Walt Disney Pictures.[11] Tendo Nagenda, Walt Disney Studios' senior creative executive, developed the project into production. He happens to be ethnic Ugandan.[12] With executive approval from studio president Sean Bailey, Nagenda went to visit Mira Nair 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."[13]

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 to conduct interviews with the principal figures as a foundation for a screenplay.[14] Nair filmed a high-concept 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."[15]
Nair described Queen of Katwe as "a radical film for Disney in many ways.... It has beauty and barbarity side-by-side."[16] In January 2015, Disney studio chairman Alan F. Horn 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."[17] [18] Oyelowo immediately accepted the role, seeing the film as a "subversive work", given the lack of diversity in contemporary American cinema.[19] [20] 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.[14] The casting director found Madina Nalwanga in a community dance class. The 15-year-old Ugandan dancer was cast as Phiona.[21]

Filming

Principal photography began in April 2015.[22] [23] The film was shot in the Katwe slums in Kampala, Uganda and in Johannesburg, South Africa. More than one hundred Ugandans were hired as extras for the street scenes; eighty had no prior experience with cameras.[24] Nair set up an acting boot camp to help prepare the children for their scenes.[25] Most professional Ugandan actors settled for roles as extras, including Gladys Oyenbot who acted as Lupita's stand-in double.[26]

Nair and cinematographer Sean Bobbitt 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.[27] Heffes added that "It's a very thematic and gentle score that is more orchestral than something like Roots, 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."[28]

Alicia Keys wrote and recorded the song "Back to Life" for the film; it was released on September 9, 2016 by RCA Records.[29] The official soundtrack album was released on September 23 by Walt Disney Records, with its deluxe edition also releasing the same day.[30] [31]

Release

Queen of Katwe had its world premiere at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival on September 10.[32] Disney held the corporate premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on September 20,[33] with another screening at the Urban World Festival on September 22.[34] The African premieres were held in Kampala on October 1[35] and Johannesburg on October 5.[36] The film had its European debut at the 2016 BFI London Film Festival on October 9.[37] Another screening was held at the Morelia International Film Festival in Mexico on October 22.[38] On November 12, it was screened at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and at the Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival on the 24th.[39] [40]

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released the film on Blu-ray 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.[41] It opened on wide release on September 30 to 1,242 screens, and went on to gross $2.5 million in the first week.[42]

Critical response

Queen of Katwe received positive reviews from critics, with David Oyelowo and Lupita Nyong'o's performances receiving unanimous praise.[43] [44] Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes 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."[45] On Metacritic, the film has a normalized rating of 73 out of 100 based on reviews from 40 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[46] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale.

Accolades

List of awards and nominations
AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)Result
African-American Film Critics AssociationFebruary 8, 2017Top 10 FilmsQueen of Katwe[47]
Africa Movie Academy AwardJuly 15, 2017Africa Movie Academy Award for Most Promising ActorMadina Nalwanga[48]
Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading RoleDavid Oyelowo
Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleLupita Nyong'o
Africa Movie Academy Award for Best DirectorMira Nair
Africa Movie Academy Award for Best FilmQueen of Katwe
Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Production DesignQueen of Katwe
Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Costume DesignQueen of Katwe
Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Visual EffectsQueen of Katwe
Alliance of Women Film JournalistsDecember 21, 2016Best Woman DirectorMira Nair[49] [50]
Best Breakthrough PerformanceMadina Nalwanga
Black Reel AwardsFebruary 16, 2017Outstanding ActressMadina Nalwanga[51]
Outstanding Supporting ActressLupita Nyong'o
Outstanding Original Song"Back to Life" – Alicia Keys, Illangelo and Billy Walsh
Critics Choice AwardsDecember 11, 2016Best Young PerformerMadina Nalwanga[52]
Evening Standard British Film AwardsDecember 8, 2016Best ActorDavid Oyelowo (also for A United Kingdom)[53]
Golden Tomato AwardsJanuary 12, 2017Best Kids/Family Movie 2016Queen of Katwe[54]
London Film Critics' CircleJanuary 22, 2017British/Irish Actor of the YearDavid Oyelowo (also for A United Kingdom)[55]
NAACP Image AwardsFebruary 11, 2017Outstanding ActressMadina Nalwanga[56]
Outstanding Supporting ActressLupita Nyong'o
Outstanding Supporting ActorDavid Oyelowo
Outstanding Film DirectorMira Nair
National Film Awards UKMarch 29, 2017Best ActressLupita Nyong'o[57]
Best International FilmQueen of Katwe
Toronto International Film FestivalSeptember 18, 2016People's Choice AwardMira Nair[58]
December 19, 2016Best Movie by a WomanQueen of Katwe[59]
Best Young ActressMadina Nalwanga
Best Female Images in a MovieQueen of Katwe
Best Family FilmQueen of Katwe

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Queen of Katwe (PG) . bbrc.co.uk. . September 12, 2016 . September 17, 2016.
  2. News: Fleming . Mike Jr. . David Oyelowo & Lupita Nyong'o In Talks To Star In 'Queen Of Katwe' For Disney . April 27, 2015 . . January 9, 2015.
  3. Web site: Queen of Katwe (2016) . Box Office Mojo . March 10, 2017.
  4. News: Lupita Nyong'o and David Oyelowo star in the new trailer for Queen of Katwe . May 10, 2016 . . Carissimo . Justin . August 29, 2016.
  5. News: McNary . Dave . David Oyelowo, Lupita Nyong'o in Talks for Disney's 'Queen of Katwe' . April 27, 2015 . Variety . January 9, 2015.
  6. News: Robinson . Joanna . Why Lupita Nyong'o, Not Superheroes, Represents the Future of Disney . August 16, 2015 . . August 16, 2015.
  7. Web site: Toronto To Open With 'The Magnificent Seven'; 'La La Land', 'Deepwater Horizon' Among Galas & Presentations . July 26, 2016 . July 26, 2016 . Deadline Hollywood.
  8. News: Siegel . Tatiana . Disney's David Oyelowo Drama, 'Queen of Katwe,' Gets Release Date . April 27, 2015 . . April 8, 2016.
  9. News: Uganda's Queen of Katwe star Nikita Pearl Waligwa dies aged 15 . BBC News . February 16, 2020 .
  10. News: Gitau. Elly. Uganda: Maurice Kirya to Star Alongside Lupita Nyong'o in Queen of Katwe. August 16, 2015. The Star. May 11, 2015.
  11. Web site: From slum life to Disney film: Ugandan teen chess star 'the ultimate underdog' . Levs . Josh . December 10, 2012 . CNN.
  12. News: Rainey . James . Tendo Nagenda Named Executive VP of Production at Disney . August 7, 2016 . Variety.
  13. Queen of Katwe: Watch Phiona gets the best of her chess partner in first match. Entertainment Weekly . September 2, 2016 . September 5, 2016 . Sperling . Nicole.
  14. Web site: 'Queen of Katwe' Makes Moves on a Ugandan Chessboard . The New York Times . September 8, 2016 . September 11, 2016 . Sulcas . Roslyn.
  15. Web site: McKittrick . Christopher . Queen of Katwe: Expanding What a Disney Film Can Be . Creative Screenwriting . September 30, 2016 . September 30, 2016.
  16. Watercutter . Angela . The Inside Story Behind Disney's 'Radical' Queen of Katwe . October 2, 2016 . Wired . September 30, 2016.
  17. Sperling . Nicole . Queen of Katwe: The return of Lupita Nyong'o . September 13, 2016 . Entertainment Weekly . September 15, 2016.
  18. News: Pallotta . Frank . David Oyelowo and Lupita Nyong'o talk Oscars diversity and 'Queen of Katwe' . September 13, 2016 . CNN . September 12, 2016.
  19. News: Whipp . Glenn . With 'A United Kingdom' and 'Queen of Katwe,' David Oyelowo continues his mission of inclusion . September 13, 2016 . Los Angeles Times . September 10, 2016.
  20. News: Schneller . Johanna . Disney could be looking at Oscar buzz for 'transcendent' film Queen of Katwe . September 13, 2016 . The Globe and Mail . September 9, 2016.
  21. Disney unveils first look at Lupita Nyong'o in The Queen of Katwe . January 5, 2016 . Entertainment Weekly . Gettell . Oliver . January 7, 2016.
  22. News: Sefa-Boakye . Jennifer . Lupita Nyong'o Is Filming Disney's 'Queen Of Katwe' Chess Biopic In Uganda With David Oyelowo . August 16, 2015 . OkayAfrica . March 31, 2015 . June 6, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170606005431/http://www.okayafrica.com/news/lupita-nyongo-david-oyelowo-disney-queen-of-katwe-ugandan-chess-film/ . dead .
  23. News: Gerard . Jermey . Lupita Nyong'o Sets New York Stage Debut In Public Theater's 'Eclipsed' . August 16, 2015 . Deadline Hollywood . July 30, 2015.
  24. News: From Kampala, with love – Director Mira Nair on her new film, the challenge of shooting chess and making a film in what has been her home for the last 27 years . Live Mint . September 16, 2016 . Bhatia . Uday.
  25. Web site: Meet Tendo Nagenda: Disney Exec and Mastermind behind 'Queen of Katwe' . Face2FaceAfrica . September 7, 2016 . September 17, 2016 . Gantt . Deidre.
  26. Web site: Oyenbot played Lupita's double . . Uganda. May 28, 2016. monitor.co.ug.
  27. News: Alex Heffes to Score Mira Nair's 'Queen of Katwe'. January 29, 2016. Film Music Reporter. January 16, 2016.
  28. Web site: Schweiger. Daniel. Interview with Alex Heffes. Film Music Magazine . September 27, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160927203910/http://www.filmmusicmag.com/?p=16108. September 27, 2016. May 24, 2016.
  29. Lawrence . Derek . September 8, 2016 . Queen of Katwe story inspired Alicia Keys to write a new song . . September 13, 2016 . EW.com.
  30. Web site: September 23, 2016 . Queen of Katwe (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) [Deluxe Edition] ]. September 25, 2016 . iTunes.
  31. Web site: September 23, 2016 . Queen of Katwe (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) . September 25, 2016 . iTunes.
  32. Web site: TIFF 2016: Magnificent Seven, Loving, and More Announced for Festival Lineupl. Vanity Fair. Yohana. Desta. July 26, 2016. July 26, 2016.
  33. News: Czachor. Emily Mae. Cast and Crew Celebrate 'Queen of Katwe' as "a Love Letter to Uganda" at Disney Film's Premiere. September 25, 2016. The Hollywood Reporter. September 21, 2016.
  34. 'Queen of Katwe' Leads the Slate at 2016 Urbanworld Film Festival . Variety . August 25, 2016 . Cox, Gordon.
  35. Web site: 'Queen of Katwe' Ugandan premiere set for October 1 . The Insider . September 6, 2016 . October 9, 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20161010125114/http://www.theinsider.ug/queen-of-katwe-ugandan-premiere-set-for-october-1/#.V_rFFugrLDc . October 10, 2016 . mdy-all .
  36. Web site: Queen of Katwe Premiers in Joburg . The New Age . October 6, 2016 . October 9, 2016.
  37. Web site: Lupita Nyong'o's 'Queen of Katwe' to Make European Debut at London Film Festival. Variety. Leo. Barraclough. July 13, 2016. July 13, 2016.
  38. Web site: Queen of Katwe . FICM . October 9, 2016 .
  39. Web site: Queen of Katwe . Golden Horse . October 13, 2016.
  40. Web site: Queen of Katwe . Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival . November 3, 2016.
  41. Web site: 'Magnificent Seven's $35M Opening A Career Best For Antoine Fuqua; 'Storks' At $21.8M – Sunday AM B.O. Final Update . Deadline Hollywood . September 25, 2016 . September 25, 2016 . D'Alessandro, Anthony.
  42. Web site: 'Miss Peregrine' Enrolls Moviegoers On Thursday Night – Box Office . Deadline Hollywood . September 30, 2016.
  43. Queen of Katwe Is a Bright and Inspiring Success – Mira Nair has returned to form with this piquant Disney movie. . Vanity Fair . September 11, 2016 . September 18, 2016 . Lawson, Richard.
  44. Toronto Film Review: 'Queen of Katwe' . Variety . September 10, 2016 . September 18, 2016 . Berkshire, Geoff.
  45. Web site: Queen of Katwe (2016) . . . June 22, 2018.
  46. Web site: Queen of Katwe Reviews . . . December 18, 2016.
  47. Web site: 'Moonlight' Named Best Picture by the African American Film Critics Association . Kimberly . Nordyke . . December 12, 2016 . December 12, 2016.
  48. News: AMAA 2017: Akin Omotoso's Vaya grabs ten nominations, Queen of Katwe, '76 get eight . Chidi . Chima . The Cable Lifestyle . May 14, 2017 . May 14, 2017.
  49. News: 2016 AWFJ EDA Award Nominees . Jennifer . Merin . . December 16, 2016 . December 17, 2016.
  50. News: 'Arrival', 'La La Land', 'Hell or High Water' Among The Nominees for the 2016 AWFJ EDA Awards . Michelle . McCue . WeAreMovieGeeks.com . December 16, 2016 . December 17, 2016.
  51. Web site: Black Reel Award Nominees – 'Moonlight' Leads with 13 Nominations . Clayton . Davis . AwardsCircuit.com . December 14, 2016 . December 15, 2016 . December 17, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161217074948/http://www.awardscircuit.com/2016/12/14/black-reel-award-nominees-moonlight-leads-13-nominations/ . dead .
  52. Web site: La La Land Leads with 12 Nominations for the 22nd Annual Critics' Choice Awards . criticschoice.com. Critics' Choice . December 1, 2016 . December 1, 2016.
  53. News: Evening Standard British Film Awards – The Longlist . . William . Moore . November 17, 2016 . November 29, 2016.
  54. Web site: Golden Tomato Awards – Best of 2016. Rotten Tomatoes. January 12, 2017.
  55. Web site: 'Moonlight' and 'Love and Friendship' Lead London Film Critics' . Kimberly. Nordyke . . December 20, 2016 . December 20, 2016.
  56. Web site: NAACP Image Awards: Nate Parker & Donald Glover Lead Film & TV Noms; Beyonce Tops Field . Deadline Hollywood . Patrick . Hipes . December 13, 2016 . December 13, 2016.
  57. Web site: Ewan McGregor, Catherine Zeta Jones, Michael Fassbender, Shana Swash, & Daniel Radcliffe lead National Film Awards UK 2017. January 18, 2017. February 1, 2017.
  58. News: TIFF People's Choice Award cements La La Land in Oscar race—The festival also released its full list of winners . September 18, 2016 . September 18, 2016 . Entertainment Week.
  59. Web site: Women Film Critics Circle Nominations: "Hidden Figures," "13th," & More . . December 15, 2016 . December 19, 2016.

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