More than a Movie Night

Grab your family and friends for a movie night at the Highrock auditorium featuring Queen of Katwe, the inspiring true story of a young Ugandan girl whose life is transformed through the unlikely world of competitive chess. Whether you love chess or don’t know a rook from a bishop, this is a story for all ages about family, perseverance, community, and discovering what’s possible when someone believes in you.

Come hungry, too. The Mill Cafe is hosting a community dinner beforehand. Grab a bite, catch up with friends, then head into the auditorium as the movie starts at 6:15pm.

And this won’t be just another movie night: we’ll be joined by two special guests, National Masters in Chess Elliott Neff and Scott Low. 

National Master Elliott Neff is the author of A Pawn’s Journey, and CEO of Chess4Life, which helps kids build life skills through the game of chess. His coaching is even endorsed by Robert Katende, the real-life coach whose story inspired the film. 

National Master Scott Low is a Landsat Flight Systems Manager at NASA and former NASA/NOAA Satellite Operations Engineer. His father taught him chess at a young age and he fell in love with the game after attending Mr. Richmond’s summer chess camp in 3rd grade. He won several MD state and national scholastic championships, including the Denker Tournament of High School Champions in 2008 where he became a National Master. He was inspired Queen of Katwe, seeing an intertwined story of chess, faith, community, perseverance, and overcoming the odds! He serves on the Chess Advocacy Board at Sports Outreach, the organization Robert Katende collaborates with to invest in young people and communities through chess.

After the film, we’ll get to hear from both of them and take questions.

Already saw the movie? Come anyway. Throughout the evening, Scott and Elliott will be in the Mill Cafe space offering chess lessons for beginners and sharing their own stories, photos, and videos from trips to Uganda – the real place behind the movie. This isn’t just a movie night; it’s a chance to connect with the story behind the story, whether or not you’ve watched it before.

Come for a great movie, meet some special guests, and enjoy a memorable evening together.