The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind follows 13-year-old William Kamkwamba (newcomer Maxwell Simba) who is thrown out of the school he loves when his family can no longer afford the fees. Sneaking back into the school library, he finds a way, using the bones of the bicycle belonging to his father Trywell (Chiwetel Ejiofor), to build a windmill which then saves his Malawian village from famine. The emotional journey of a father and his exceptional son at its heart, William’s tale captures the incredible determination of a boy whose inquisitive mind overcame every obstacle in his path.

Starring alongside Ejiofor and Simba are Aïssa Maïga, Lily Banda, Lemogang Tsipa, Philbert Falakeza, and Noma Dumezweni. The film, like many others screening at the festival, has been picked up by Netflix for distribution, but the company has stated that it will receive a limited run in theaters alongside its streaming release. This hints towards the company’s confidence in the film’s awards chances, so this time next year, there might be a serious buzz surrounding Ejiofor in multiple categories.

Chiwetel Ejiofor has quietly climbed his way to the top of the character actor food chain over the past two decades; despite memorable leading performances in films like “Come Sunday” and “12 Years a Slave” (which netted him a Best Actor nod at the Oscars and a BAFTA win), he has most commonly flourished as a strong supporting actor, bringing a certain gravitas to films like “Amistad,” “Serenity,” “The Martian,” “Doctor Strange,” and this year’s “The Lion King.” Now, he is set to truly come into the spotlight by making his directorial debut, “The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind,” which is having its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

‘The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind” premieres at Sundance on January 25th and will be released later this year. You can watch the trailer below: