Chiwetel Ejiofor's directorial debut 'The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind' will premiere on Netflix.
Chiwetel Ejiofor
The streaming service has picked up the global rights to the British movie - which is based on the book of the same name by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer - which tells the story of a boy in Malawi who cannot afford to go to school but has a dream of building a windmill to feed the starving people in his village.
Ejiofor also stars in the film along with Maxwell Simba and it is set to launch on Netflix in 2019 and in select cinemas in the US and UK.
Confirming the Netflix deal - which was negotiated with Participant Media - Ejiofor said: "William's story represents, what has to be, the future in countries like Malawi: developing countries, overflowing with beauty and harboring enormous potential. A global story, such as this, requires a global platform and I'm thrilled to be working with Netflix on bringing William's extraordinary tale of determination and inventiveness to audiences worldwide."
Jonathan King, President of Film and Television for Participant Media, added: "Chiwetel brings incredible passion and skill as a filmmaker to this moving and impactful story about a young boy who uses his heart and mind equally to help better his community. We need this kind of story now more than ever, and we're excited to continue the partnership with Netflix that started with 'Beasts of No Nation' and continued with ROMA to bring this new film to audiences around the world."
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