If the addictive hit series The Queen’s Gambit has left you craving more stories about young chess masters, then don’t miss the true story of Fahim Mohammad, the Bangladeshi refugee boy who became a national French chess champion. Fahim, the Little Chess Prince is an inspirational underdog story that will have you cheering in your seat as a boy on the brink of despair overcomes immense obstacles.
After fleeing with his father to France from Bangladesh to escape political persecution, 9-year-old Fahim experiences poverty, homelessness and hopelessness until he discovers something that makes him feel alive again: chess. Through a chance encounter, Fahim finds himself mentored by top chess coach Sylvain, played with charming gruffness by Gérard Depardieu, who enters him into a tournament. But being allowed to compete is not straightforward, and just getting to the chessboard proves to be Fahim’s biggest challenge yet.
Full of drama and tension with a star-making performance by the young Bengali actor Assad Ahmed as the junior chess champion, Fahim, the Little Chess Princ, is an immensely rewarding celebration of the power of resilience, self-belief and having faith in other people to defy the odds.
Tuesday 2nd March
107 min
PG
Film Festival