Here are some photos from the TIFF premiere of Queen of Katwe, the new Disney film based on the true story of a young, female chess prodigy from Uganda. The film got great reviews at TIFF (more on that in a moment), and there’s even some Oscar buzz, which makes me happy. Lupita Nyong’o plays the chess prodigy’s single mother, and David Oyelowo plays the missionary who teaches the young girl how to play chess, then coaches her through several international competitions. Mira Nair directed the film and Madina Nalwanga stars (in her first film) as the chess prodigy, Phiona Mutesi.
For the premiere, Lupita got the most attention, which is… smart, I think. They’re selling this film mostly on Lupita’s name, and partially on David Oyelowo’s name since the young Madina is such an unknown. Lupita stole the red carpet in this stunning and bright Carolina Herrera gown with a matching head wrap. I’ve said before that I love it when Lupita wears her hair really short, because then all you can see is her beautiful face. The head wrap does the same thing as short hair – all I can see is her gorgeous face. Lupita also accessorized her Herrera look with $600,000 worth of jewels from Tiffany’s. She wore “tanzanite and diamond earrings, worth $29,000, a $270,000 sapphire and diamond ring, and an 8-carat yellow diamond ring that costs $325,000.”
Here’s the trailer for Queen of Katwe:
Like, that made me tear up. I really want to see this film – I have such an affection for Disney movies about sports and real-life events and people. This looks so inspirational. That’s what the reviews say too – that Nair made a film about chess, Africa and Christian missionaries and somehow it doesn’t seem preachy or overwrought, nor does it have a convenient white savior. Yay! I’m looking forward to this.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I have to be honest; from the waist up she is divine (stunning!), but I’m not a fan of the yellow.
David Oyelowo looks amazing.
You read my mind, lol. I find the yellow too bright, it’s almost eye-searingly so.
The blue makes the yellow look brighter. I think the dress is gorgeous and she is wearing the hell out of it as usual.
I can see what you’re saying but love the entire look regardless. She looks so beautiful and regal.
And David, oh my! What a handsome man with rich style. Very impressed with his look.
I think they both look splendid. I look forward to seeing this film.
I agree that’s a very ugly shade of yellow, but Lupita pulls it off.
So excited to finally see Lupita in a human role.
I’m not a fan of yellow but oh boy, can she pull it off. And that blue! She has the most perfect, amazing, glowing skin and bright, rich colors work so well on her.
So gorgeous. And she doesn’t need ropes of flouncy hair and extensions to be beautiful.
Fantastic dress. Elegant beautiful woman.
Stunning as always, but my first reaction was wondering how that would look with the colors reversed.
I love this look!
Grumbles…… about Lupita wearing a west African inspired dress when she’s selling a movie based in East Africa…….
Yes, i’m going to be the b!tchy, pedantic one today.
I picked up on that, too.
Why does she never wear Kenyan designers? She has such a huge platform to give them exposure, I don’t understand why she never does it.
The red lipstick clashes with the dress.
Genuine question, why does it make you grumble?
@LAK
Would someone from Portugal wear German attire? Africa isn’t one country. (That’s how I interpreted it).
What Jenn4037 said.
Lupita and David are completely off the mark.
She is African herself so I am sure she knows differences with countries fashion’s and just prefered this dress.
I do not think she picked this essemble out of ignorance. I’d be genuinely shocked if she did considering she grew up in Kenya.
However, considering the few truly African stories told in mainstream cinema and the fact that she chose to highlight African inspired fashion, i wish she had been geographically accurate in her inspiration.
I’m a sucker for these kind of movies! The bright colors look great on her and she looks great here, but I don’t like the dress AT ALL.
Shes an incredible actress but something always bugs me the wrong way about her. I never liked her Oscar campaign, the way she played it like she was a poor actress even though she comes from privileged family.
I didn’t think she played it that way. I think she referenced how being a woman of color was still a hurdle in her life despite her class. There are all sorts of privileges: class, race, gender, sexual orientation. it probably seemed that way, but really she was addressing her race and gender and not so much her socioeconomic status.
I remember she referenced that his dad is a senator and that she grew up wealthy in many interviews, I don’t think she ever downplayed her upbringing.
I distincively remember her describing hersel as middle class. She grew up extremely privileged and it did sometimes seem like she downplayed her class. But it can also be that the media decided she was a poor rags to riches story simply because she’s from Africa.
When did she ever act like she was poor?
Hmm, I don’t know about the dress…but from neck up she is gorgeous. They all look great – David looks handsome (minus slipper-type shoes) and Madina is a beaut! I hope movie does well.
I totally loved his shoes (plus they look so comfy)!
She is a stunner.
Has the face and bod of a doll.
I love the dress, but it’s a bit too pageanty to pair with a funky turban.
As a result, the entire look is off, IMHO.
Yeah, she looks like somebody made her in a lab – almost too beautiful, in the same vein as Angelina Jolie and Matt Bomer.
(That’s a compliment btw)
“Yeah, she looks like somebody made her in a lab – almost too beautiful, in the same vein as Angelina Jolie and Matt Bomer.”
Now you’re reaching. She’s not that pretty. I think her young co-star Madina Nalwanga is.
oops double post.
I think she is that pretty. She is Angelina Jolie level pretty.
“She’s not that pretty to me” There, I fixed it for you V4real. You’re free to dislike her but you don’t get to decide how others rate her attractiveness. I’ve even seen you imply that people were pretending she was pretty because she’s dark skinned and they wanna be seen as progressive or something to that effect. What even?
I agree with Lannisterforever, she’s out of this world gorgeous to me. When someone says ‘most beautiful women in the world’ her face and Ajak Deng’s are the first images that come to mind.
Lola, eveything people post on Internet is an opinion (unless facts are provided in addition). It is useless to always say “in my opinion” and “to me” and waste of time since this should be cl at already. Nowhere did the poster ban other poeple’s opinions.
“I think she is that pretty to me” There I fixed it for you LOLA
You’re free to like her but you don’t get to decide how others rate her unattractiveness. See that works both ways doesn’t it. 🙂
And what I said was some people act like Lupita is the only dark skinned actress out there and I named some dark skinned actresses and models that I think blow Lupita away such as Jessica White, Tinka Sumpter, Danai Gurira, Rutina Wesley, Aja Naomi King. But most people probably are not familiar with these ladies.
So no, she is not that pretty to me. And she is no where near the level of AJ pretty. I think Rooney Mara is beautiful but there are others who don’t find her attractive at all and that’s their opinion, which I let them have freely. I hope that clears it up for you.
@Chinoiserie, sure they aren’t banning others from stating their opinions. But saying another person’s view on something as subjective as beauty is wrong is silly af. She’s straight up said that people who say she’s pretty are lying (in another thread). That goes a little beyond just stating your opinion.
Tom Hiddleston is one of fugliest men I’ve ever seen in my life, but if someone said that they found him more attractive than Henry Cavill I wouldn’t tell them they were reaching. To each their own.
ETA: V4real I neither expect you to like her nor find her pretty. Hell, you can even find her ugly for all I care. Saying others are reaching for finding her drop dead gorgeous is what I found strange. Deuces.
The ‘funky turban’ looks to me like a Nigerian gele (i’m not sure how it’s called in other cultures). When worn in specific ways, the head wrap is as integral of fancy wear as for instance high heels in Western fashion.
ETA, Lupita looks like a million bucks, quite literally, given the price tag of the jewelry.
I was concerned after posting about the funky turban that it had some cultural meaning.
Not my intention to offend, so whoa.
Merely commenting from a shallow, gossipy fashion viewpoint.
I say it time and again…it’s why I come here.
Getting swiped happens from time to time…but I come in peace…and for fun.
It’s definitely a variation on a gele. I see it as fashion interpretation.
Myrna, no problem, also, I think I myself sounded drier than intended, internet communication and all.
Lambda – yes, I agree about Internet tone – sometimes leading to misunderstandings.
But thank you for explaining the significance of the headwear – that’s it’s part of a “fancy” dress.
I wouldn’t have known that…✌🏻
@LOLA Now you’re straight up lying. I want you to go and find the thread where I said that anyone who said Lupita is pretty is lying. You can disagree with me as much as you like but don’t lie on me, that’s going too far.
Saying someone is reaching is not lying it’s my opinion. GOY.
http://www.celebitchy.com/459013/lupita_nyongo_ralph_fiennes_once_said_lupita_give_me_my_space/
“I don’t get it either. People calling her ethereal and all. I do not find her that attractive. Sometimes it seems as if people feel that they are forced into believing that she is beautiful. They are not allowed to say they don’t find her attractive because they
fear the backlash. They fear they might be accused of saying she’s not beautiful because she is of darker skin. It has nothing to do with her shade of skin, it’s her features. It’s like Gisele and how they pushed her beauty on us. If we continue to say she’s beauty than the world will believe she is. She’s not IMO.”
Alright, it seems that I misremembered it a bit, I apologise for that. However, the general gist of it is still the same. You seem to be implying that some of the people who are saying she’s gorgeous are saying so because they’re pressured to aka lying for fear of being accused of colourism. Even the last bit implies it, unless I’m misinterpreting what you mean. If that’s the case, I’ll apologise.
Like I said, I take no offence to you finding her unattractive, just your need to impose it on others. You’re not content with YOUR opinion of her looks, you seem bothered that other people find her pretty. You’re free to find her butt ass ugly, I’m free to find her prettier than Angelina Jolie. Neither of us wrong or reaching because that’s not how this beauty thing works.
Can’t edit my last comment but I wanted to add that I see now that what I said was a complete exaggeration of what you said. I completely confused it with my interpretation of it and remembered it all wrong. Sorry about that. I stand by everything else I said though, including my interpretation.
She looks so beautiful! Minor complaint: her eye makeup looks off, or maybe undone. I think I’m used to the electric colors she typically wears. Probably would have been too much with this dress.
What I like most about Lupita is her natural elegance, she always holds herself with poise and grace on the red carpet. On Tumblr there were pictures of the afterparty of the première and her rumored style editor boyfriend was definitely there.
She has enviable posture. Whenever I see pictures of her I sit up straight.
Madina’s dress lets us see her beautiful face. I think Lupita’s outfit hides hers.
I like the whole look, I would just add a pair of long earring or a necklace.
It suits her, she has that elegance, that certain something. This is not a look for anyone. But she looks great.
I love that Lupita is unapologetically Black. (This is coming from someone who was told to “grease” her “nappy” hair on Facebook.) I love her natural hair and her features. I love that little girls who look like her (and me) can see her and know that they, too, are beautiful and can be successful.
Eye-searingly gorgeous. I wouldn’t change a thing.
That dress plus that face… absolutely beautiful.
Lupita has the grace and colouring to carry it as well, I think it would overwhelm and wash out a lot of women.
They look like Visions of Excellence, No ifs ands or Buts! (Ya’ll gonna try anyways but I’m telling you NOW.OBJECTIVELY. DO NOT)
I’m with you. Dazzling.
Separately, I also love Mira Nair’s outfit. Rose gold and rich plum — a gorgeous combo. She looks beautiful and comfortable.
Oh Absolutely , this was in fact a Blanket assessment!
Meh.. This movie seems a bit simplistic, beautiful pictures and colors but a theme that we have seen so many times; the underdog struggles and than triumph. It’s Disney I guess.. And the cheezy music.
+1 to everything.
I cannot wait to take the whole family to this movie!
I love the designer and the actress. The look is stunning!
She looks gorgeous.
What I want to have are these glorified pantofles Oyelowo is wearing.
I was at the premiere. The movie was great and it was made even more meaningful because Phiona was there (she looked beautiful in red in case you are looking for photos of her) as was her coach! Mira Nair spoke at length about how she lives in Africa, raised her son there and has a foundation to help young filmmakers tell African stories. It was a really lovely film.
They look like royalty, all of them.
They all look great. Madina is really lovely.
I’ve been looking forward to this movie for a while. The trailer I’ve seen is a bit Disney-fied with the cheesy earnest pop song at the end, but it’s such an amazing true story, great cast, and a talented director.
Disney’s gonna Disney. I enjoy Mira’s movies – Monsoon Wedding is a favorite.
I adore that film. Definitely top ten for all time for me.
Lupita is gorgeous. And lucky her: she is one of those rare people that would look good in a potato sack.
I always look forward to Lupita’s red carpet choices. Someone described her as the spirit child of Grace(s) Jones & Kelly.
The one thing that stands out about her Oscar campaign press junkets to my memory is that her father was extremely disappointed she dropped a physics class (IIRC) and was showing an interest in acting. That and the influence of seeing the primary cast in”The Color Purple”
And if you haven’t seen Lupita’s Vogue 73 Questions. Do that now!
She is GORGEOUS. But oh my goodness, is that boy in the 2nd photo okay? I’m being serious.
Look at his eyes-they are yellowy-red! I hope he’s well.
I’m sure he’s fine. Melanin doesn’t just colour your skin, it colours the white of your eyes too. So some black people have yellower eyes.
Okay, thanks; good to know.
I love love love Mira Nair’s films. I have always connected to them very much and am damn excited to see this. I am so so proud to see an Indian doing spectacularly.
Lupita is so gorgeous it aint even funny anymore.
I watch “Monsoon Wedding” every time it comes on the TV.
She’s so beautiful. And I agree that she has such a regal look about her. Just love her.
I used to be a fan, but I side eye her for working with Terry Richardson
Yeah, it’s always disappointing when my favorite people work with him.
Someone described him as “the male equivalent of the white, windowless van”
I forget the username i normally use here. Im always here for any Lupita news and oh my, im blown away. I love that colour blend. Yellow and blue. Im so copying this entire outfit when Dec rolls on by and the weddings come calling.
Lupita desearves all the attention. She is an actor who prepared herself first, and she is ready to work. Besides that, she is one of the most well dressed actress out there. I absolutely adore her style. Hope she gets more opportunities. More and more.
Good lucky, Lupita!
Ugh.
+1…. i’M THERE with you on that.
She looks amazing!
I LOVE this look!
I hate the color yellow but the blue in the is dress is so whimsical. Lupita Nyong’o never fails to look amazing in clothing were you question the desire intentions. Can’t wait to see the movie.