Queen of Katwe Red Carpet Premiere Experience

Premiere of Queen of Katwe at the El Capitan Theatre

(Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

You never know what to expect from a Red Carpet event in Hollywood! I got to experience my first one last month at the premiere of Pete’s Dragon, and was so anxious to see what it would be like this time as Disney premiered the Queen of Katwe! Of course you know there will be stars and cameras and all of the glamour and glitz you’d expect from all things Hollywood. However, the Queen of Katwe red carpet premiere brought about so much more than can ever be dressed and photographed.

(Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

African culture on the red carpet:

First, with this movie having roots on my native continent, I found this to be the perfect opportunity for me to wear some traditional clothing. Yes, I do love wearing my garb and loved seeing so many other red carpet guests display the beautiful colors and styles indicative of African clothing. I wore this dress I had custom made for me last time I was in Liberia. How did I look?

The Stars on the Red Carpet

David Oyelowo & Lupita Nyong'o at the premiere of Queen of Katwe

David Oyelowo & Lupita Nyong’o (Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

First, a little background on the stars of the movie:

Oscar Winner Lupita Nyong’o and David Oyelowo were the only established actors in the movie, with the vast majority of the cast consisting of native Ugandans, many from smaller villages, who could never have imagined being in a film of this magnitude, much less walking a Hollywood red carpet honoring their successes. While not all of the actors of the movie were able to attend this premiere (there will be one in Uganda in the upcoming months), we were graced with the presence of Madina Nalwanga who stars as Phiona Mutesi and Martin Kabanza who plays Phiona’s brother Brian.

(L-R) Chess Coach and Director of Sports Outreach in Uganda, Robert Katende, Ugandan national chess champion Phiona Mutesi, Director Mira Nair, actors Madina Nalwanga, Lupita Nyong’o, David Oyelowo, Martin Kabanza and William Wheeler (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

Madina Nalwanga (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

Martin Kabanza (Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

David Oyelowo with his wife and children. (Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

Even more humbling, we were joined on the red carpet by the real life Phiona Mutesi (who looked incredible by the way), Robert and the beautiful Mrs. Katende (Phiona’s coach and his wife, her teacher).

Ari Adams with the real life Phiona Mutesi of Queen of Katwe

With that said, the most unforgettable moment of the night still remains the time I got to look back in the theater and see the looks on their faces as they watched their stories and their work on the big screen!

The Movie

This was actually my 3rd time seeing the movie since I screened it once during the Pete’s Dragon Event and the night before the premiere to prepare for interviews. With this being such an important movie to me personally, I was interested in seeing the audiences reactions to the movie. Like, what scenes they found funny, sad, and especially whether or not I was the only one who couldn’t hold back a tear at the end of the film! Everyone I spoke to following the film loved it!

The After-Party

I can truly say the after party following the Queen of Katwe premiere was a celebration!

Yes, there were more stars, food, drinks, music, etc., but the most unforgettable experience was watching the stars, the creators, and the guests just dance in pure joy! Yes, Lupita got on the floor too and showed off her moves!

Madina Nalwanga, Robert Katende, Tendo Nagenda dance at Queen of Katwe after party

Madina Nalwanga and Martin Kabanza dances with Disney’s Tendo Nagenda dance at the U.S. premiere of Disney’s Queen of Katwe. (Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

Robert Katende and Lupita Nyong'o dance together

EVP of Production Tendo Nagenda and Lupita Nyong’o dance together (Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

Jason George of Grey’s Anatomy

David Oyelowo and I

Me, Whitley, Vanessa Bell Calloway, and Christine St. Vil of MomsNCharge

Trinitee Stokes of KC Undercover

Kamil McFadden of KC Undercover

(These pics make me the coolest mom ever!)

Organist playing at the El Capitan Theatre preceding the premiere of Queen of Katwe

Another amazing and unforgettable experience for the books! I can’t wait for the movie to come out and hope everyone gets a chance to see it! It started today (9/23) in limited theaters, but will be everywhere on 9/30!