A scene from "Queen of Katwe."
How does a young girl from Uganda go from beginning chess player to champion? Disney’s Queen of Katwe documents the journey from one to the other as well as the struggles and triumphs in between. The 2016 film was the first entry in this month’s “Free Film Fridays: From Stage to Screen: Celebrating Black Yale School of Drama Alumni” at the Ives branch of the New Haven Free Public Library.
The series has both a local and a timely focus: They have chosen films for Black History Month that feature Black actors who starred in Yale Repertory Theatre productions while attending the Yale School of Drama and then went on to star in feature films in Hollywood.
Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o — a 2012 Yale School of Drama graduate who starred as Perdita in the Yale Rep production of A Winter’s Tale in 2012 — starred in this Friday’s film as Nakku Harriet, the mother of Phiona Mutesi (played by Madina Nalwanga). The film tells the real-life story of Mutesi based on the book Queen of Katwe: A Story of Life, Chess, and One Extraordinary Girl’s Dream of Becoming a Grandmaster.
Other films in the series include What’s Love Got to Do with It? on Feb. 9, starring two-time Yale graduate Angela Bassett; she has a BA in African American Studies from 1980 and an MFA from 1983. Bassett also starred as Martha Pentacost in the 1982 Yale Rep production of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. On Feb. 16, the library screens Bullet Train, starring 2007 graduate Brian Tyree Henry, who also starred as Marcus G. in the 2006 Yale Rep production of dance of the ghosts: a play on memory. On Feb. 23, the library shows Love & Basketball, starring graduate Sanaa Lathan, who also starred as Agnes in the Yale Rep’s 1994 production of The School for Wives.
The library has an array of events planned for Black History Month under the title “Celebrating Black Entrepreneurship” at its various locations. The Wilson branch will be hosting a Headshots and Networking event on Tuesday, Feb. 20. A History of Black-Owned Businesses in New Haven will be presented by the New Haven Museum at the Fair Haven branch on Feb. 29. Two author talks are scheduled the Stetson branch, one that features professor Lucy Anne Hurston (niece of Zora Neale Hurston) on Feb. 28 and another featuring former police officer Dave Daniels on Feb. 7. Another author talk at the Fair Haven branch, with Calvin Ramsey, focuses on Negro League baseball owners and players. There is musical programming as well, featuring students of Music Haven on Feb. 10 and Feb. 24, at the Stetson branch.
Karen Ponzio Photo
The scene at NHFPL
This past Friday was free movie day, as it historically is, with the film being screened in the Ives Branch’s community room in the library’s lower level. According to librarian Jessica Robayo, who was running the event for the day, the series took a break for the holidays, when attendance tends to slow down overall. She was “excited” for the film herself as she had never seen it before, and she was hoping people would be attending.
“It gets people out of the cold for a couple of hours,” she added with a smile.
It was indeed another cold gray day on Friday, but the community room was warm and inviting, as was the film, the visual equivalent of being greeted by an old friend with long and comforting hug. Director Mira Nair is no stranger to Uganda, and it shows in her honest and loving vision of Katwe, home to Phiona and her family as well as Robert Katende (played by David Oyelowo), who coaches a group of young chess players he calls the Pioneers.
Phiona happens upon the group one day following her brother Brian around as they are supposed to be selling maize to raise money for their family. She takes to chess rather quickly, though once her mother finds out that she and her brother are spending time there, she is not too thrilled about it. Nyong’o brings a strength to this role that finds her in conflict with Phiona’s growth and independence, even as she shows that she is an obvious source of her daughter’s own strength and inspiration to keep fighting.
The conflicts in the film are plenty for the adults as well as the children, but the triumphs are just as numerous. Nothing comes easy to anyone. Even Phiona’s chess prowess comes with its own challenges. Nair never looks away, nor does she exploit. Movies that are based on true stories can often come across as contrived or overly crafted. This one is just the opposite, unfolding as life does with turns and twists, tenderness and tears, and an unwavering hopefulness that felt as refreshing as the late afternoon sun that finally broke through the clouds on the walk to the car afterward.
This reporter, if you have not already figured it out, is a huge fan of the matinee, whether it be for music, films, or any other form of art. I am also a huge fan of any work of art that challenges the viewer to see the world through the eyes of another, yet connects the viewer to their own world. Queen of Katwe excels at celebrating the tenacity of a young girl who wants nothing more than to be a champion so she can help her mother and family have a more permanent home. Chess becomes her way to a new life and sense of self. When at one point she decides to quit, she tells Coach Katende, “there are too many problems.”
“Chess helps you solve problems,” he answers, adding “do not be quick to tip your king. Never surrender.” At another point in the film, when Mutesi wins a gold medal, one of the teachers says about her that “such aggressiveness in a girl is quite a treasure.” How refreshing to hear and see this perspective, one that has often been lacking in my lifetime.
This film and the book it is based on are both available through the New Haven Free Public library system. Check them both out — and free up your next three Fridays for more warm, refreshing, and possibly new perspectives.
Free Film Fridays happen at 2 p.m. every Friday in February at the Ives branch of the New Haven Free Public Library. Please see the library’s website for more information about the films and other events scheduled during Black History Month.