‘The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind’ premieres March 1
By Sam Banda Jnr:
The long awaited film The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by Hollywood actor, Chiwetel Ejiofor, which tells the story of the country’s innovator William Kamkwamba, will premiere on Netflix on March 1.
The film was shot in Kasungu District and stars Nigerian Ejiofor, Kenyan and Malawian actors.
According to The Guardian, in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, Ejiofor has found an astonishing true story to tell, based on a book by Kamkwamba, the boy of the title.
It takes people back to 2001 in Malawi, and the Kamkwamba fami ly is struggling to make ends meet but parents Trywell (Ejiofor) and Agnes (Aïssa Maïga) remain focused on their children’s education, despite the financial cost. When their 13-year-old son William (Maxwell Simba) is forced to leave school after falling behind on payments, he becomes determined to help not only his family but a community facing famine.
The trailer for the film has since attracted various comments from Malawians, with some quarters feeling Malawian actors could have played a bigger role.
The lead roles are being played by Kenyan actors and Ejiofor, who has difficulties in speaking the local language.
Others, however, have said being a Hollywood film, it was important for Ejiofor to take up the lead role and use other actors as part of selling the movie to the world.
One of the local actors who played man-on-the-line, Ian Chitsekula, where he was on a queue to buy maize at Admarc and exchanged few words with the main actor, said he drew a lot of lessons starring in the film.
“We drew a lot of lessons that need to be embraced by local filmmakers if we are to shine on the international platform,” Chitsekula said.
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