January 12 – Queen of Katwe (2016), 124 minutes, directed by Mira Nair, starring Lupita Nyong'o, David Oyelowo, and Ntare Mwine.
Disney Studios produced this inspirational true story of Phiona Mutesi, an impoverished girl living in Kampala, Uganda's bustling capital city. Race, gender, money, and social class all play roles in Phiona's amazing life story, taking her to the highest reaches of international chess championships. Director Mira Nair takes her source material, Tim Crothers' The Queen of Katwe: A Story of Life, Chess, and One Extraordinary Girl's Dream of Becoming a Grandmaster, and fashions an emotionally rich film virtually guaranteed to stir the heart.
Image used with permission from Walt Disney Pictures
January 2024 CinemaLit – Chess in the Movies
The renowned Mechanics' Institute Chess Program shares the fourth floor with CinemaLit, it seems only natural we run with the theme of "Chess in the Movies." Chess has appeared in films for a very long time, bringing suspense, intrigue, and humor to a game so seemingly quiet and contemplative. Master directors have explored its dramatic power. Hitchcock used it effectively in The Lodger (1927), one of his early silent films. Ingmar Bergman turned chess into a game of life and death in The Seventh Seal (1957).
We're featuring three films that treat chess as metaphor, or as a means of personal and social transformation. And a fourth entry in our series is just plain fun, a classic caper film with a memorable (though unfinished) chess game. Join us for Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993), Queen of Katwe (2016), The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), and Queen to Play: Joueuse (2009).
Matthew Kennedy, CinemaLit’s curator, has written biographies of Marie Dressler, Joan Blondell, and Edmund Goulding. His book Roadshow! The Fall of Film Musicals in the 1960s, was the basis of a film series on Turner Classic Movies.
“I don't have a favorite film,” Matthew says. "I find that my relationships to films, actors, genres, and directors change as I change over the years. Some don't hold up. Some look more profound, as though I've caught up with their artistry. I feel that way about Garbo, Cary Grant, director John Cassavetes, and others."
“Classic films have historical context, something only time can provide,” Matt observes. “They become these great cultural artifacts, so revealing of tastes, attitudes, and assumptions.”
Mechanics' Institute Members Free
Non-Members $10
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Please note: Photos and/or video may be taken during this event.
CinemaLit Films
