Nikita Pearl Waligwa

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."

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.

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.'"Nair described Queen of Katwe as "a radical film for Disney in many ways.... It has beauty and barbarity side-by-side."

Published by ESPN in 2012, it was optioned that same year by Walt Disney Pictures.

Tendo Nagenda, Walt Disney Studios' senior creative executive, developed the project into production.

He happens to be ethnic Ugandan.

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.

In January 2015, Disney studio chairman Alan F. Horn greenlit the film into production for US$15 million.

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."

Queen of Katwe is a 2016 American biographical sports drama film directed by Mira Nair and written by William Wheeler.

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.

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.

The film had a limited release in the United States on September 23, 2016, before a general theatrical release on September 30.

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 soccer 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 succeed in becoming a Grandmaster, securing the necessary finances to lift her family from 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.

Maurice Kirya and Ntare Mwine have supporting roles as Theo and Tendo, respectively.

Gladys Oyenbot and Rehema Nanfuka play minor roles as a shopkeeper and a nurse, respectively.

Additional Cast

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.