The Katwe team is a ragtag group of variously adorable children, each with quirks that supply the film with levity and humor. The game teaches them strategy, discipline and self-worth, in the spirit of any proper sports drama. Soon, Phiona and her brother become involved in an outreach ministry chess program, run by the endlessly generous Robert Katende (David Oyelowo). ![]() ![]() ![]() They eke out a difficult living selling maize. Phiona (a seamless Madina Nalwanga in her debut role) lives with her mother (a strong Lupita Nyong’o), older sister and two younger brothers. The obstacles faced by the film’s characters include homelessness, hunger, gender politics and even sexual predation. It’s an unusual project for producers Disney and ESPN (though not as much for director Mira Nair), boasting a predominantly black cast and an Afro-centric internationalist perspective. The biographical drama follows the life of young Ugandan girl Phiona Mutesi as she rises from absolute poverty in the slums of Katwe to become an international chess champion. While it treads familiar territory – believe in yourself never give up on your dreams – it does so in a context of different, heightened risk. Queen of Katwe is a remarkable evolution of the Disney/ESPN credo.
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