The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind poster

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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

2019 · Movie · 113 min
A

MEANRANK

80/100

Averaged across 10 ratings · 180.9K votes

Every rating

Platform pages last read 29 September 2026. IMDb’s figure comes from IMDb’s own data file, which we re-read about once a month.

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68–96 out of 100

Mostly agreed

Lowest is Metacritic critics on 68, highest is Google on 96.

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A teenage boy in a drought-stricken Malawian village is forced to drop out of school when his family can no longer afford the fees. He secretly studies science books in the library and becomes inspired to build a wind turbine. He scavenges for parts to create a device that could pump water and save his village from famine, facing skepticism from his community.

Details

Released
14 February 2019
Country
Malawi, United Kingdom, United States
Language
English, Nyanja, Arabic
Runtime
113 min
Awards
2 wins, 1 nomination

This title elsewhere

Maxwell Simba

Maxwell Simba

William Kamkwamba

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Trywell Kamkwamba

Aïssa Maïga

Aïssa Maïga

Agnes Kamkwamba

Lily Banda

Lily Banda

Annie Kamkwamba

Joseph Marcell

Joseph Marcell

Chief Wembe

Lemogang Tsipa

Lemogang Tsipa

Mike Kachigunda

Philbert Falakeza

Gilbert Wimbe

Noma Dumezweni

Noma Dumezweni

Edith Sikelo

Awards & nominations

See all 3 →

2 wins from 3 nominations across 3 ceremonies

International Submission to the Academy Awards 2020 International Submission to the Academy Awards United Kingdom Nominee
Alfred P. Sloan Prize 2019 Alfred P. Sloan Prize Winner
NYICFF Grand Prize 2019 NYICFF Grand Prize Winner

Awards from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.