SWINDON Film Society’s season this year has travelled around most of the globe. This week’s film takes us to Africa, and the slums of Katwe, Uganda. Director Mira Nair has taken the true story of schoolgirl Phiona who becomes a chess champion.
The film gives us much more than the usual cliché of “underdog overcomes adversity to win the prize”. With some superb actors, this film succeeds in depicting real people and the struggles they face: single motherhood, overcoming poverty, feeling out of place, and the challenges of playing high level chess.
And it is not a spoiler to say that the film does indeed have a happy ending – sometimes a pawn can indeed become a queen! At the end of the movie, the real Katwe residents pose with the actors who played them on screen – a satisfying meeting of the story tellers and the story.
This is the Film Society’s second screening at the Phoenix Theatre, New College. Doors open at 7pm and the film starts at 7.45pm. There is a bar with wine and beer, and a café that provides tea and coffee. Tickets are £5 or £4.50 for students.
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