Phiona and Robert’s first visit to Chess4Life in 2013
QUEEN OF KATWE SEATTLE MOVIE
I heard of the book Queen of Katwe in 2013, before the Disney movie was even begun, and helped support the Queen of Katwe project by hosting a tournament fundraiser at Chess4Life in Bellevue, WA. The suspenseful, accurate, and often humorous chess narrative combined with the heart-warming, real-life story make it well worth your time.įrom living on the streets, to becoming champion in Uganda, then representing her country at the World Olympiad, and on to the red carpet of Hollywood, Phiona’s story is inspiring millions to never give up, to pursue dreams regardless of obstacles, to persevere - as there is the seed of a champion in every person. You may have watched the movie in theaters, on an airline flight or on DVD. Phiona Mutesi (right) playing chess in the Sports Outreach Mission Chess Academy This movie tells the amazing story of Phiona Mutesi, a young girl from the slums of Katwe whose life is changed forever through discovering chess. I’m Elliott Neff, founder of Chess4Life, and I’ve had the privilege of getting to know the real life people behind Disney’s Queen of Katwe movie.
QUEEN OF KATWE SEATTLE FULL
Phiona Mutesi and Benjamin Mukumbya, whose lives are portrayed in Disney’s movie Queen of Katwe, grew up in the slums of Katwe in Uganda and are now poised to begin the next adventure of their lives- attending Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington with a full tuition scholarship. On the opposite side of the world, similar life-changing results are being seen…meet Phiona & Benjamin, whose story has brought them on an amazing journey that includes the Slums of Uganda, Red Carpet of Hollywood, Chess4Life, and most recently Northwest University in Kirkland, WA! At Chess4Life HQ in Bellevue, WA, thousands of students develop Life Skills Through Chess: critical thinking skills, focus, planning, social-emotional skills and more. Mean Girlsīecause nothing will ever make you happy like Mean Girls makes you happy.The Queen of Katwe is a real-life story told in a book and Disney live-action movie…and the story continues to develop. Okay but this one is also super relevant because with the word that Disney is buying Fox, Anastasia becomes a Disney princess, right? So it’s like current events, but sweet and comforting and filled with enough songs you half-remember to distract you from the hangover. Have we mentioned nostalgia? Because when every part of your body hurts, sometimes you need to remember simpler times when your biggest grape-related concern was a juice box rather than a truly excessive amount of wine. It’s also critically acclaimed and beloved, so when you spend your day watching it, you would have just watched a feel-good film, and made your mark as an aficionado working down your movie list. If you want to really remind yourself how much of your life you waste being hungover on the couch (we’re not judging, we’ve been there), Queen of Katwe is a truly excellent film about a young Ugandan girl living in a slum in Katwe who becomes a Chess Master. It’s charming and smart and funny and a little bit sad in a good, relatable kind of way - but, of course, it comes with a happy ending. It’s a Netflix original starring Alison Brie and Jason Sudeikis as two adults who re-meet years later after losing their v-cards to one another in college. Sleeping with Other People is the best rom-com you’ve maybe never heard of. High School MusicalĪnother nostalgia watch guaranteed to please! Plus, there’s the added joy in seeing baby Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens - now that they’ve hit the ~big~ time. Nostalgia? Bangers? Raven-Symoné? The Cheetah Girls were there for you as a tween, and they’ll be there for you now that you’ve learned that shots are only your friend in the moment. Musicals are sometimes exactly what you need and sometimes exactly not, so depending on the state of your head, you’re going to have to make the call that’s best for you…But we highly recommend giving Sing Street a chance! It follows a young boy growing up in ’80s Dublin who joins a band to impress a girl - and it’s 100% delightful. If you love Begin Again (which isn’t on this list, but could be, so consider that one a bonus), you’ll be all in for Sing Street. Plus, Bridget struggles throughout a lot of the movie, so you’ll feel alright struggling too. The prime early 2000s rom-com, Bridget Jones’s Diary, is both the happy ending we all need when we’re feeling defeated and it’s, like, Jane Austen…so it’s totally cultural. Moana is a fierce heroine you won’t be able to get enough of, and the movie will make you feel uplifted and ready to turn over a new leaf on the second day of 2018, even if - at the moment - the only thing you feel turning is your stomach. If you haven’t seen it, you’re so missing out.