Inner City Chess Team Documentary “Brooklyn Castle”
The documentary film Brooklyn Castle was released in October in select theaters. It is being rolled out to a small selection of theaters over the next few months.
The film follows a real inner city chess team setting records with their competition wins.
Read the official synopsis:
Brooklyn Castle tells the stories of five members of the chess team at a below-the-poverty-line inner city junior high school that has won more national championships than any other in the country.
The film follows the challenges these kids face in their personal lives as well as on the chessboard, and is as much about the sting of their losses as it is about the anticipation of their victories.
Below are photos of a few of the students the documentary follows. Descriptions come from the official Brooklyn Castle website.
Having found chess at I.S. 318 to be a boy’s club, Rochelle was driven to prove she could not only be a formidable opponent against her male peers, she could outdo them. Three years later, her name sits atop the list of I.S. 318’s best players. Now Rochelle has her sights set even higher: She’s determined to become the first African-American female master in the history of chess.
At just 11 years old, he is already rated 2100 and has been selected to join the United States Chess Federation’s esteemed All-American team
A charismatic student and natural politician, Pobo emerges as a big brother figure and leader to the other chess team members. Dubbing himself “Pobama,” the ambitious 12-year-old mounts a campaign to become president of the school, with the goal of restoring budget cuts that threaten I.S. 318?s afterschool programs, including chess
Watch the Trailer:
Check this page on the official Brooklyn Castle website to find out if the film will be playing near your location.
