Chiwetel Ejiofor Makes His Directorial Debut by Bringing an Emotional True Story to Netflix

Netflix might be known for its slew of popular true crime hits, but thanks to Chiwetel Ejiofor, the next true story to hit the streaming giant is an emotional, uplifting tale about a young boy from Malawi.

The Doctor Strange actor makes his directorial debut with The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind, which has been adapted from the book of the same name. Ejiofor also stars in the film alongside newcomer Maxwell Simba, who plays William Kamkwamba, a 13-year-old boy who saves his home in an incredible, and incredibly unconventional, way: by building an electricity-producing windmill from spare parts and scrap he found in his village in Malawi. When a drought sets in on his village and famine threatens to take the lives of those he holds dear, the young inventor creates the windmill using only rough plans he finds in a library book, Using Energy.

In real life, Kamkwamba's invention not only kept his family from starving but also led to other important projects when his success attracted the attention of local papers and eventually ended up on Mike McKay's blog, Hactivate. Kamkwamba has since helped to find ways to clean water in his village, as well as working on malaria prevention, solar power and lighting for the six homes in his family compound, digging a deep-water well with a solar-powered pump for clean water, and a drip irrigation system.

Watch the trailer for Ejiofor's upcoming film above before The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind hits Netflix on March 1.