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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

  • 2019
  • TV-PG
  • 1h 53m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
49K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,525
560
Chiwetel Ejiofor and Maxwell Simba in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019)
A boy in Malawi 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 could save his village from famine.
Play trailer2:23
4 Videos
43 Photos
BiographyDramaHistory

Against all the odds, a thirteen-year-old boy in Malawi invents an unconventional way to save his family and village from famine.Against all the odds, a thirteen-year-old boy in Malawi invents an unconventional way to save his family and village from famine.Against all the odds, a thirteen-year-old boy in Malawi invents an unconventional way to save his family and village from famine.

  • Director
    • Chiwetel Ejiofor
  • Writers
    • Chiwetel Ejiofor
    • William Kamkwamba
    • Bryan Mealer
  • Stars
    • Chiwetel Ejiofor
    • Maxwell Simba
    • Felix Lemburo
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.6/10
    49K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,525
    560
    • Director
      • Chiwetel Ejiofor
    • Writers
      • Chiwetel Ejiofor
      • William Kamkwamba
      • Bryan Mealer
    • Stars
      • Chiwetel Ejiofor
      • Maxwell Simba
      • Felix Lemburo
    • 222User reviews
    • 53Critic reviews
    • 68Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 5 wins & 6 nominations total

    Videos4

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:23
    Official Trailer
    The Rise of Chiwetel Ejiofor
    Clip 4:09
    The Rise of Chiwetel Ejiofor
    The Rise of Chiwetel Ejiofor
    Clip 4:09
    The Rise of Chiwetel Ejiofor
    The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind: William's Story (Featurette)
    Featurette 1:59
    The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind: William's Story (Featurette)
    Chiwetel Ejiofor Transitions from Actor to Director
    Video 2:57
    Chiwetel Ejiofor Transitions from Actor to Director

    Photos43

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    + 37
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    Top cast43

    Edit
    Chiwetel Ejiofor
    Chiwetel Ejiofor
    • Trywell Kamkwamba
    Maxwell Simba
    Maxwell Simba
    • William Kamkwamba
    Felix Lemburo
    • John Kamkwamba
    Robert Agengo
    • Jeremiah Kamkwamba
    Fiskan Makawa
    • Priest
    Lily Banda
    Lily Banda
    • Annie Kamkwamba
    Aïssa Maïga
    Aïssa Maïga
    • Agnes Kamkwamba
    Fredrick Lukhere
    • Mkubwi
    Hestingzi Phiri
    • Shabani Mkubwi
    Rophium Banda
    • Mister Bamusi
    Philbert Falakeza
    • Gilbert Wimbe
    Samson Kambalu
    • Joe Godsten
    Raymond Ofula
    • Mister Ofesi
    Noma Dumezweni
    Noma Dumezweni
    • Edith Sikelo
    Lemogang Tsipa
    • Mike Kachigunda
    Joseph Marcell
    Joseph Marcell
    • Chief Wembe
    Martin Githinji
    • Reginald Nwachi
    Melvin Alusa
    • Justin Mitwa
    • Director
      • Chiwetel Ejiofor
    • Writers
      • Chiwetel Ejiofor
      • William Kamkwamba
      • Bryan Mealer
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews222

    7.649.1K
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    Featured reviews

    10SarahJaneHeath

    Loved every moment of this film

    What a great movie - powerful acting, cinematography and story line. Heartwarming, powerful and emotional - it brought tears of sadness and joy! Thoroughly recommend.

    This is the kind of film awards were made for. I hope it wins many.
    Dev1999

    A beautiful film that has the power to match its own story.

    This film is absolutely great, and I recommend everyone to just watch it right now on Netflix. This needs to be seen and supported. It is full of interesting and powerful themes that are rarely portrayed like this in cinema, and teaches a lot of important lessons without ever being preachy about it. It's one of these based on a true story movies that are actually really good and achieve what they are going for, and also match the importance and beauty of the real tale.

    All of the acting, the cinematography, the score, and the directing are working so well together, which makes for an excellent watching experience, and one that will actually stick with you for a bit.

    Please give The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind a chance.
    9jackreacher-57542

    This is as real as it gets

    This was an incredible movie. It does not hide the brutal realities of life as an African farmer. As someone who was born and raised in the continent, I can tell you that everything is legit. They even went the extra mile and incorporated the local language into the majority of the dialogue instead of having it be all in English. This is a powerful and inspirational film. I highly recommend it.
    9MaryKathleenSpangenberg

    A great movie based on the book wrote by The real life man

    Ignore the review that says the story is not true. The book is an autobiography and the movie has Michael speaking at the end. There is pretty much massive amounts of documentation verifying his education. He went to school, several in fact, including Dartmouth and worked for varied non profits.

    I am sure the movie might be a tad Hollywoodized as the "based on" ones all usually are but does not detract from this great Netflix film or facts.
    Gordon-11

    Really good

    This film tells the story of a young boy who saves his village from starvation.

    The film is well made. The story is gripping and heartbreaking. The scene where people chase a food truck reminds me how incredibly fortunate I am. Acting is very strong, and the production is very good too. I enjoyed watching this, though the story is hard to watch.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Chiwetel Ejiofor had to learn the Malawi language spoken in the film, Chichewa.
    • Goofs
      Times passes but the baby of the family does not grow up.
    • Quotes

      Trywell Kamkwamba: Democracy. Democracy is just like imported cassava. It rots quickly.

    • Soundtracks
      Bilo
      Written by Justin Vali

      Performed by The Justin Vali Quartett

      Produced by Paddy Bush

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    FAQ

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 1, 2019 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • Malawi
      • United States
      • Kenya
    • Official sites
      • Official Netflix
      • Official Netflix
    • Languages
      • English
      • Nyanja
      • Arabic
    • Also known as
      • Хлопчик, який приборкав вітер
    • Filming locations
      • Malawi
    • Production companies
      • BBC Film
      • BFI Film Fund
      • Blue Sky Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 53 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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