Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Oscar Watch: Queen of Katwe (2016)

Hello, Bloggers, welcome to another episode of my Oscar Watch where I discuss trailers for upcoming Oscar contenders. For this post, I will discuss a trailer for a film that I am hopeful becomes a contender and that is Queen of Katwe. 


Now the reason I say that I am hopeful that it does well is because of the barriers it might have to overcome to become a legitimate contender: It features an entirely black cast and is not only female driven but is directed by a woman of color, Mira Nair. Usually, when the Academy recognizes films depicting women and/or people of color, it is often when the film is directed by a white male or told from a the perspective of a white protagonist. So I'm hoping that this film can create a change of pace.

One thing about this trailer that surprised me is how underutilized Lupita Nyong'o was. She's the Oscar winner of the main cast yet there isn't much focus on her. Although she does look to have a supporting role as the main character's mother. The main actress, Madina Nalwanga, looks like she is doing an exemplary job along with David Oyelowo as her mentor. I know he's going to do well because even in movies I wasn't overly fond of, like Selma and The Butler, Oyelowo was still the best thing about those movies.

Disney is giving it an initial limited release on September 23rd. So they'll likely try to place it as an awards contender and build some buzz around it, maybe even giving it a premiere at Toronto or Venice. We'll also see how audiences response and whether it'll be an inspirational crowd pleaser.

What do you guys think? Do you think it could be something of an awards contender and do you think it looks simply like a great film? Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for reading!

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