New Queen of Katwe featurette offers heartwarming optimism

I’ve been excited for the Queen of Katwe film for a while now, but now more than ever I find myself drawn to this heartwarming true story of how a young girl goes from selling corn on the streets of Uganda to becoming an international chess champion with the support she receives from her family and community.

Disney released new Queen of Katwe featurette today that includes new footage from the film and interviews with stars David Oyelowo and Lupita Nyong’o. I thought I couldn’t love Lupita Nyong’o more, but I was wrong. You can watch her and the whole featurette here:

The movie is about more than chess, of course. It tells the tale of a girl who finds the confidence and determination she needs to pursue her dream and overcome a great deal of difficulty. I’m confident that it will have a huge impact on not only my daughter, but tweens and teens everywhere, in large because it is based a true story.

I learned from the featurette that director Mira Nair had lived in Uganda. I then did a little research and learned that she met her current husband there. Mira Nair is of course an incredible director, but after learning of her strong connection to Uganda, I have even more faith in her ability to tell this story in the perfect way. Also, I loved learning that the real life Phiona Mutesi, the heroine of the film, was on set.