Last night, February 25, 2019 at the Crosby Street Hotel in New York City, Netflix hosted a special screening of The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind featuring a Q & A with writer-director Chiwetel Ejiofor and William Kamkwamba, moderated by Angelina Jolie. Additional special guests included David Schwimmer, Abbi Jacobson, Neve Campbell, Christian Slater, Gina Gershon, JJ Field, Edward Norton and Asia Kate Dillon.
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 25: Book author William Kamkwamba, host Angelina Jolie and director Chiwetel Ejiofor attend “The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind” Special Screening at Crosby Street Hotel on February 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Netflix)
The cast of the film includes Maxwell Simba, Academy Award Nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), Aïssa Maïga (Anything for Alice), Lily Banda, Lemogang Tsipa (Eye in the Sky), Philbert Falakeza, with Joseph Marcell (“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”) and Noma Dumezweni (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child).
The film highlights the power of education and individual determination to change the trajectory of a life, a village and a nation. By telling the story of one boy’s efforts to overcome the barriers he faces to education, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind inspires audiences to imagine a future where every child, in every village, has access to knowledge and to opportunities to put that knowledge to work.
Adapted from the bestselling book by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind follows 13-year-old William Kamkwamba (newcomer Maxwell Simba) who is thrown out of the school he loves when his family can no longer afford the fees. Sneaking back into the school library, he finds a way, using the bones of the bicycle belonging to his father Trywell (Chiwetel Ejiofor), to build a windmill which then saves his Malawian village from famine. The emotional journey of a father and his exceptional son at its heart, William’s tale captures the incredible determination of a boy whose inquisitive mind overcame every obstacle in his path.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 25: Host Angelina Jolie and director Chiwetel Ejiofor attend “The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind” Special Screening at Crosby Street Hotel on February 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Netflix)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 25: Angelina Jolie with children Knox Leon Jolie-Pitt, Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt, Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt, Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt and Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt attend “The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind” Special Screening at Crosby Street Hotel on February 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Netflix)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 25: Book author William Kamkwamba, host Angelina Jolie and director Chiwetel Ejiofor attend “The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind” Special Screening at Crosby Street Hotel on February 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Netflix)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 25: Director Chiwetel Ejiofor, host Angelina Jolie and book author William Kamkwamba attend “The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind” Special Screening at Crosby Street Hotel on February 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Netflix)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 25: Director Chiwetel Ejiofor, host Angelina Jolie and book author William Kamkwamba attend “The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind” Special Screening at Crosby Street Hotel on February 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Netflix)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 25: Asia Kate Dillon (L) attends “The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind” Special Screening hosted by Angelina Jolie at Crosby Street Hotel on February 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Netflix)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 25: David Schwimmer, JJ Feild, Neve Campbell and director Chiwetel Ejiofor attend “The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind” Special Screening hosted by Angelina Jolie at Crosby Street Hotel on February 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Netflix)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 25: JJ Feild, Neve Campbell and director Chiwetel Ejiofor attend “The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind” Special Screening hosted by Angelina Jolie at Crosby Street Hotel on February 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Netflix)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 25: Noma Dumezweni and Poppy Miller attend “The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind” Special Screening hosted by Angelina Jolie at Crosby Street Hotel on February 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Netflix)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 25: Book author William Kamkwamba, host Angelina Jolie and director Chiwetel Ejiofor attend “The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind” Special Screening at Crosby Street Hotel on February 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Netflix)
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