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Mira Nair previously focused on Uganda in 1991's "Mississippi Masala" (about an Indian family forced into exile by Idi Amin). "Queen of Katwe" is the true story of Phiona Mutesi, who started playing chess to get out of Kampala's slums. Katwe is the sort of place where you have to bribe people to do even minimal tasks. Lupita Nyong'o plays Phiona's mother, the sort of person who knows the slums all too well and isn't thrilled with her daughter's goal.

One of the most effective scenes is when the Katwe children compete against the students of King's College: the Katwe children wear the traditional Ugandan attire while the rich children wear western clothes, showing the disconnect between the social classes (a scene towards the end of "Mississippi Masala" showed something similar: when the father returns to Uganda, he looks westernized while the Ugandans wear the traditional clothes).

Admittedly, I don't know how accurate the movie is, especially since I had never heard of the story before the movie's release. Nonetheless, it's a powerful, uplifting story. The people involved in this movie deserve ample recognition for their contributions, and I hope that it draws more attention to Phiona Mutesi's achievements.

This is exactly what you might expect from a true-life Disney sports movie about chess; good, but kinda basic. As someone who knows nothing about chess, the movie does the heavy-lifting so I could understand how to feel at each moment. The performances are very good, especially Oyelowo, but the most notable aspect of the film is its soulful representation of single motherhood.

Based on a true story: Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga) is a ten-year old living in the slum district of Katwe, Uganda. Through the kind and able mentoring of a local missionary (David Oyelowo), she discovers the joys of chess and realizes a potential that is beyond her life circumstances. "Queen of Katwe" is an American film and in the English language.

The film's first half is very appealing especially as it exposes class struggle and prejudice in various situations. Phiona is seen as the poorest of the poor when she first learns chess among neigbourhood peers; later, she and her new peers face further barriers and snobbery as their collective and individual talents take them to much higher places. It is more than just a battle against other chess opponents. The bigger battle is the internal voice that says, "I don't belong here" when sent to places that radically differ from the Katwe slums.

Sadly, the film sags in the second half. It is even more disappointing that the directing is by Mira Nair who has done so well with other films especially "Monsoon Wedding" back in 2001. Despite the depth of the inspiring story in the first half, a blandness takes over in the second. This is unfortunate considering the movie's potential. In any case, Oyelowo is moving as the father-like figure - not surprising considering his fine work in "Selma".

I was hesitant to see the movie, although I marked it for my 2016 must watch list some time ago. There were things that discouraged me to prioritize this movie before all the other I have seen from 2016 so far - like its Disney poster, its genre of "from the bottom to the top" (always a danger to fall into clichés), and lack of exposure and reviews.

I am glad I finally watched it today, as it successfully managed to avoid clichés and 2D story-line so often seen in this genre and clichés of over-romanticizing of poverty and Africa in general. I think that the main reason this movie didn't succeed much in USA or Europe on commercial merit is that people didn't really get through those clichés yet. That, and perhaps the African accent that to some western ears may sound "too stupid and slow", so people often correlate that with intelligence of people who speak it.

For me, it was refreshing to see finally a good movie set out in Africa and even more so, I applaud the director's decision to shoot it in actual Katwe. It added up on the scale of authenticity and I bet it helped to facilitate actors performance as well- which is also on very high level. I especially liked Lupita Nyong'o's portrayal of the mother of Phiona - the main hero of the story. But surprisingly all child actors are really good too, even though most of them (I heard) never stood before camera (or maybe exactly because of that).

As I mentioned the story is classical "from the bottom to the top" genre, but what sets this movie apart from its stereotype genre is willingness to explore characters depth, and not only that of the protagonist (Phiona), but movie managed also to depict other characters with depth and I'd say there are three protagonists in this movie: Phiona (chess prodigy), her mother, and her coach Robert Katende. Story explores their limitations and strength, with nuance, character and intelligence. There are some beautiful scenes where characters above realize their own limitations and as they try to find the way to support each other's strength despite their embarrassment. So mainly this emotional intelligence and nuance set the movie apart from clichés of its genre.

Also there are many subtle references to class prejudices in Uganda (which, I think, people from every country can relate to). So bonus point for that too. We saw not just poor slums of Uganda - the dirt, poverty and tacit acceptance of it, we also saw middle class Uganda and upper rich class of Western-like style of Uganda. It was all too familiar to watch the power relations withing Uganda, although with different colour and context.

All in all, a story that deserved to be told. I thought it's impossible to make a movie about chess, but this movie kind of made me thinking about learning it! And all in all, a movie that deserves to be watched and acknowledged.I definitely liked it a lot and even managed to shed a tear here and there! I also liked the final credits where you could see the actors standing besides the real people they portrayed in the movie.

The Disney-fied underdog "based on a true story" movie is certainly not new or original, but this movie nails it. The cast is stellar. The Ugandan setting is authentic. The emotion is just right. My kids were totally into it. And honestly? So was I.

Queen of Katwe goes far beyond the usual cliché movie: underdog overcomes adversity to win championship. Here, wonderful actors depict real people struggling with the realities of their lives: single motherhood, overcoming poverty, feeling out of place, and the challenges of playing high level chess. Particularly compelling is the story of Phiona's mother who lost her husband and struggles to provide for four children by selling cooked maize in the market. The actress who portrays her depicts her strength, and also her limitations with integrity. A wonderful performance. Of course, Phiona's story as a chess prodigy from the slums of Katwe, Uganda is harrowing, inspiring and insightful. The movie doesn't settle for a trophy as the outcome, focusing on the impacts on Phiona and her family along the way. The story of Phiona's coach is as inspiring as her story. His sacrifices, his wife's sacrifices and his challenges providing for his family as he tries to help the children of Katwe is a movie unto itself. That's why the whole thing is so satisfying. It is an amazing story of real people, only lightly changed for film-making, well acted and compelling.

This... is a good movie. Totally worth a watch. Go ahead and watch it.

Mira Nair returns to Uganda once again, three decades after she made Mississipi Masala. This is a much better film. While Mississipi Masala centered around an upper middle class Indian-Ugandan family, Queen of Katwe is set in the slums of Uganda. Nair doesn't attempt to go easy on the slum visuals here. The filth and squalor are in your face here, from beginning to end. I haven't seen a film depicting poverty in this way for a long time. Even Slumdog Millionaire wasn't so strong. Otherwise Queen of Kawate is a fairly predictable story of an under-privileged girl rising to success against the odds. The medium of her rise is chess. She's the pawn who turns into a queen, as sometimes happens in chess. The performances are uniformly good, especially given that most of them are child actors (Mira Nair's first film was Salaam Bombay and she is pretty good at handling children). I found the end credits rather moving, where the real characters pose with the actors who played them on screen. All in all a very warm, watchable film.

It's such a great inspiring story. Watching the story unfold is very heartwarming. I could not help but to get teary eyes as I watched this girl Phiona take her talents all the why to the top.

In one of the best sports movies I have seen, from the slums of Uganda, 10-year-old Phiona discovers that she has the skills of a chess master, when a man named Robert Katende comes to her village and teaches the kids how to play the game.

It's very insightful, being that this story based on real events only occurred around six or so years before this movie came out. It does a good job of showing us the life around Phiona, which makes her underdog struggle to the top of the chess world even more amazing.

As good as the performances of David Oyelowo and academy award winner Lupita Nyong'o, are, the child actors in the movie also gave great performances as well.

All I can say is that it moved me. It is the type of film that you see and it makes you feel good in the most positive way imaginable

From the trailers one would guess that The Queen of Katwe is the typical formulaic and inspirational sports story, but it is much more. While segments of it are the same old story told and retold so beautifully, with a few unexpected twist and turns, is also a study of how success affects family ties and how character is king, even in the grim slums of Uganda. It offers a realistic and harshly honest, for a Disney film, look at Africa, with prostitution references and poor medical care reoccurring throughout the story. While the harsh environment might not make the viewer feel good, it makes the story all the more inspiring. The cinematography is excellent, with great shots of the children reacting to a world they had never seen before, be it an upper crust school, snow or the view from a airplane window. Great performances from the cast.

I highly recommend The Queen of Katwe.

Walt Disney's Queen of Katwe (2016) follows a familiar story formula and at the same time is a totally original cinema experience. How can these opposites co-exist? It is another 'inspiring teacher' story with a fairy tale theme of a lowly maiden who finds fame, but instead of a prince, she finds a missionary devoted to helping impoverished Ugandan children. Vivid cinematography takes you right into the villages and ghettos and walks you through dirt streets and shacks that have no windows or doors. It is this hyper-realistic photography with a mainly amateur cast that takes this film to the next level. Ten-year old Phiona (Madina Nalwanga) sells corn on the streets of Katwe in Uganda to help her destitute single mother provide food and shelter for the family. Generations of girls like her face a daily struggle to survive and she has no future except in dreams of escape. Brought together by fate, she meets Robert (David Oyelowo) a missionary who coaches soccer and chess to get aimless kids off the street. She has never seen a chess board before but her curiosity draws her to learn the game despite the taunts from boys who shame her for her smelly ghetto clothes. Excelling quickly, she becomes a top player in the local club and her new confidence gives her identity and purpose. The film follows the predictable narrative arc of poor kids rising to take on the country's best. With Robert's mentoring and financial help, Phiona leads a team to compete at the national chess championships, a personal journey troubled by tensions with her mother. The story is kept sanitised for general Disney audiences by avoiding the kind of high-stake risks facing the teacher of the same storyline in The Fencer (2016). As a Disney production, you might expect to see every cliché that can possibly be squeezed out of this genre. Instead the story is light on melodrama, mainly because of the natural authenticity of Phiona and the other cast. Career actors could not have pulled this off so well. The metaphor of pawns over-powering queens and the importance of practice, planning, and confidence are a little obvious. The move-by-move close-up shots of chess competition will no doubt delight chess players but may be found tiresomely repetitive by others. But these are minor quibbles given what this film achieves: an original story told honestly on an exotic location without the usual Hollywood baggage. It is quietly inspiring and a minor triumph for Disney.

Loved it well made and well acted. Teary in parts. It has been a while since a movie has had all the components of this movie. It captures how privileged we are in the west and out of pure will and following your passion you can come to be whom you really are against all odds.

The actors portrayed the story with great depth and conviction. I loved the end and hope all true story's have the chance to show (Those that are still living) their real persons as I felt it adds a realness to the story and movie final. Well directed as well.

There is a star in the making with actress Madina Nalwanga i am sure we will see allot more of her out standing performance.

Like the movie, but was shocked when I learned that she didn't get any money from Disney from making a movie about her. When you see their poverty, and know how wealthy Disney is and how many lives they could have changed, it's just sad. The rich will be richer.

This film tells the story of a teenage girl from a Ugandan ghetto. She is discovered by a chess teacher to be brilliant in chess, and hence she embark on a journey on international chess championships to lift her out of the ghetto.

"Queen of Katwe" tells a story that inspires people across the socioeconomic spectrum. Phiona and her family struggles to make ends meet, and yet she does something that is not conventionally economically active. The hardship of living in a ghetto is well depicted in the film, especially in the eviction scene and the car accident scene. The story is touching, especially when it tells how Phiona is under pressure. I notice how they depict Phiona under pressure during a chess game, and the opponents looking confident by staring fiercely into Phiona. This adds dimension to the story.

I like Mira Nair's storytelling style and I like her film also. She is a talented director and she has made some very good movies. Those movies are critically acclaimed and good rated. I know she always concentrates about the critic value of her movies, not the box office report. That's why maybe her films are not famous in mass people. I know she is a good director and already has made some very good movies but the main problem is those movies are not for general audiences.

Well, this movie is a biography and the movie is based on some true stories. Here is a good point, the movie is totally harmless and the movie's emotional scenes are very well executed. The script and the screenplay are very good and well written. William Wheeler has written a very good screenplay for this movie and when the cinematic knowledge is the concern, he is undoubtedly good. Here is another thing, I am not telling Mira Nair's direction was not good, but the screenplay is the heart of this movie and maybe, for this reason, the direction of Mira Nair was good. The emotional scenes, the background story and the plot development are very good and I want to give a thumbs up for this.

The another plus point is the casting. All of the lead cast are non- caucasian and that is another good thing for this kind of movie. Lupita Nyong'o, David Oyelowo, Madina Nalwanga all these actors has done a very good job and I think they are perfect for these roles. Maybe Lupita Nyong'o will be nominated for her role. Rest of the cast of this movie has also done a good job. I want to give all the credit to Mira Nair because she is the true compiler of this movie.

Another thing is this movie is a little bit formulaic but I want to tell this formula does work and the emotional touches of this movie are not irrelevant. So if you want to achieve some good delightful experience, this movie is for you.

Here is another beautiful film by Mira Nair who made 'Monsoon Wedding'. The cinematography captures the true colors and life in a slum of Uganda, Africa. The characters were really believable and the acting was excellent. Madina Nalwanga's acting was very convincing and true to her heart. She understands how to portray her emotions in front of the camera. The children in the film were brilliant and all the cast gave good performances. Some scenes were heartbreaking and moving. Mira Nair directs her actors with great skill and confidence which is visible on the screen. Its really beautiful to experience another culture and I was very happy to experience Uganda. A big congrats to Mira Nair for a good film. I met Mira Nair few years ago when she came to San Francisco for a film premiere. She was very nice and sweet lady.

This is the true story of a young girl from the Ugandan slums who finds she has an amazing talent at chess. To be honest my expectations for this movie were above average, owing to the fact that it is a Disney Sports movie, and I can't remember the last bad one i'd seen. This movie though, is beautiful and very heartwarming, I had tears in my eyes at the end. The acting is great from all the cast , but the youngsters steal the show. A great film to watch which will leave a wide smile on your face.

I went to see this movie thinking I'll watch a movie about Chess, but that was an emotional roller coaster about life, and its challenges. Lupita Nyongo , and David Oyelowo were not just acting, you could see how they took possession of their characters for 2 hours.

Did "Hoosiers" make you cry? "Queen of Katwe" will wreck you. Coming from Africa, this movie relate more to me, but I believe anybody will feel touched by it. Whenever non African make a movie about Africa, you can see a lot of misrepresented things that tells you the movie was made just by a tourist, but Queen of Katwe is an American film about Africa that doesn't feel like it was made by tourists. Nair knows better. She has deep roots in Uganda, and they've given her enough experience and insight that she's able to treat Katwe's residents as people first, and parts of a familiar narrative second.

If you are still deciding whether to see it or not, stop reading reviews here, and just go to watch this amazing movie.

"Sometimes the place you are used to is not the place you belong"

Queen of Katwe speaks of an inspirational journey of one extraordinary talent named Phiona Mutesi! From merely existing in the poverty-ridden slums of Kampala to representing her country (Uganda) in the international chess olympiad and that too at a very young age is no mean feat! Especially when you consider the fact that she didn't even have a proper education in her earlier life. When other children of her age were going to school, she and her whole family were struggling just to make ends meet.

Although, you should be aware that because it is a biographical sports drama, Phiona's life story got the most priority as well as most of the attention over here (and rightfully so) as opposed to the general overview of the game. Thus, the people who tuned in to learn more about "Chess" would be a bit dissatisfied.

Nevertheless, I believe that a vast majority of the audience, who may not even be familiar with the game or any of its complexities would still be able to enjoy their time with the movie anyway. And that is because of two main reasons. For one, Its simplistic yet motivational approach; that could change anyone's rigid attitude, and secondly, the film possesses an incredible set of performances, that would appeal on a universal scale to all kinds of people coming from all sorts of backgrounds and ethnicity, and that is where it checkmates!

I am not a big fan of Mira Nair. But I like some of her films, particularly 'Amelia'. Because she usually prefers India and Indian subjects and cast as what she's. Outside that circle, she was not that successful, until now. It was a sport film, that revolved around chess game. Inspired by an incredible true story from the dark continent. It all happened less than ten years ago. Disney and ESPN together produced it. So when these two productions come together, you would know what to expect.

Seeing the opening few minutes, it reminded me the recent New Zealand film 'The Dark Horse'. Kind of a similar film, but I was not that impressed with that. But this one was awesome. Simply a miracle. Like any fairy-tale from the Disney. She was not a princess, but in a way she turns to be one. Years ago when I reviewed 'Searching for Bobby Fischer', I said that was the film should be shown in the schools. Now add this title as well to the list.

The opening was the ending. Then followed the flashback, which went to the 4 years ago. Living in a slum of Katwe, a single mother raising her children, but not without their contribution to the family. Now the focus shifts to one of the family members, Phiona. Curiosity on her brother who disappears every day after sold out his goods leads her to a new path. That's when she discovers a game she had never heard of before. After learning the basics, she quickly picks up the rest of the game on her own and becomes a prodigy.

❝Losing teaches me how to play better.❞

This is like most of the true stories you have seen, but that's the truth as well in here. What might come later could impress you. Because it was not like she has a superpower, so she can clear her life path just like that. Honestly, the real test begins now for her, how she uses her gift. But it was her coach who understood the situation, and tried his best to push her further with the big tournaments, in the national and the international level. Not just her, there has been a team behind her. So the remaining is to reveal how far she would go, as well as the story of her struggling family.

They have got the cast perfectly. Everyone was brilliant. David Oyelowo was amazing, surely one of my favourite British actors for now. This is the second consecutive time he's making a such impression. Not long ago with 'A United Kingdom'. Definitely the Oscars is just a corner. And then Lupita Nyong'o, she was not the centre of the story, but had enough part and she excelled every bit of it. The rest of the actors, including the one who played Phiona was amazing. At the end credit, both the cinematic and the real life characters appeared. I felt that was a result of excitement, but liked it.

The sad part was why such films were ignored at the big stages! This is a must see film, especially if you have a kid(s) in the home, show it to them. Being the parents, uncle and aunt, that's one of the best thing you would do for them. Because no one knows when and where kids gets their confidence boost, inspiration or discovering a new path. You can't compare films with real life, even it was a biopic. But still the true story always remains a true story, even after they're compressed to 120 minutes. Particularly the Disney film gets rid of harsh parts, making a family friendly film. So watch it for a change, you have no other reasons, you could be impressed!

8/10

Imagine a young girl from Uganda, who has never played the game of chess before, becoming the international champion of the game. Mira Nair's Queen of Katwe shows this magnificent story in a way that no other movie could possibly have done. It all started when I stumbled across the film's poster, an utter masterpiece. The vibrant colours piqued my curiosity straight away and the fact that it was based on true story also at once captured my attention, and I knew that I had to experience this film in the cinema.

Queen of Katwe follows the story of Fiona, a young, 12-year-old girl who only knows how to sell food on the streets. Madina Nalwanga brings something extra to the role - she definitely elevates the wit and charm of Fiona's character. When a young chess teacher was wondering around in the streets, he sees something in this girl that he had never seen before in any of his students. He begs and begs Fiona's parents to let her take lessons with him. At the lessons, all the boys make fun of the fact that a girl is playing chess with them. How shocked would they be when they find out that she is exceptional at the game?

The film is mainly targeted for tweens and kids from 8 to 12 years, but anyone can enjoy this film, even if they don't have a love for chess. The target audience is shown straight away when the Disney intro is included. This film is very feel-good and can be classed as a family drama movie.

The costumes of the characters are done extremely well. The vibrant colours shows their culture and the loose clothing suggests that the area that they live in is very hot. This is further reinforced by the fact that most of the characters are usually coated in sweat. The chess club is held in a tent, rather than a designated building, which shows that the area is generally pretty poor, and this shows that you can do lots of things with little resources.

The sound in this movie is second to none. From the tribal non-diegetic sound at the beginning, which shows the African background, to the sad music the sad scenes, which adds some emotion to the film, all of it is done extremely well. The highlight for me is most definitely the intense music when Fiona is playing a chess game - it adds a level of tension to the viewer that undoubtedly couldn't be matched with none of this music. I also like the contrast between the indoors and the outdoors; when the scene is set outdoors, you can hear the music playing from inside the houses, and all of it is tribal. On the other hand, when it is set indoors, there is almost bsence of sound and music. The director even adds a splash of comedy into the mix.

Sometimes during chess games, when the players lose their key pieces, they start having tantrums in front of everyone, and this can be funny for some viewers.

Although the film is extremely good, I do have one criticism: the movie can sometimes be very slow, and there aren't many chess scenes. I could feel myself getting bored of the film sometimes, but this isn't a big deal as almost all the scenes in the movie are done exceptionally well.

Overall, Queen of Katwe is a very good film. It somehow shows what life in Uganda is like and how lucky we are, and how a 12 year old girl who lives in a broken shack becomes an international chess champion at the same time. It's a great film to enjoy with the family, and one of the best sports movies ever.

Hi folks, as some of U know, Disney is notorious for taking an event, and drastically changing and bending what actually occurred, often to the point of making a movie that really has little to do with the event or story they claim to be representing --The actual background for this movie is as follows

FIDE awarded Phiona a women's IM title. Their requirements are that a woman must have had a peak rating of at least 2000 elo and scored at least 50% in a qualifying tourney. Apparently they bent the rules a lot to grant Phiona a WIM (women International master) title. Her peak rating was about 1650 elo (350 below the requirement) and she scored only one win (against a 1542 player), three draws and lost three games in the 2012 Olympiad

--So this is basically a fiction movie =Its affirmative action in the world of FIDE, I'm sure there are a LOT of chess players fuming over this, I know of at least one young woman who tried to get an WIM in the USA and peaked at around 1950, and was not awarded the title --guess she is in the wrong country --One very good chess movie starring minorities that really is true is called 'Brooklyn Castle', --A very good fiction chess movie is 'Queen to Play', about as true as this movie is when you get right down to it