OBOC - "William and the Windmill" Documentary film

Join us for the award-winning documentary "William and the Windmill," as part of the One Book One Community program, whose selection for 2022 is “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind” by William Kamkwamba.

This documentary follows William’s life after he was brought to the public’s attention for building his windmill in Malawi and bringing electricity and water to his village.

With only a library book as his guide, 14-year-old William Kamkwamba builds a windmill in his Malawian village that changes his life forever. Using junk parts and an inexhaustible imagination, he harnesses enough energy to power a generator that saves his family from famine and resuscitates his dying farming community.

An instant media sensation, the teen soon has the ability to chart a previously unimaginable future of TEDtalks, Ivy League schools, and speaking tours. But despite the help of an American entrepreneur who helps navigate his success, some changes threaten to capsize him. He was once just a kid back home, but suddenly he’s a village leader.  Away at school, the famous boy inventor struggles on a steep learning curve. Cameras capture the dramatic upheavals, external pressures, and subtle shifts of perspective in this inspiring story of a young man facing the changes that a humble homemade windmill set in motion. 

Winner of the SXSW Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary, The Austin Chronicle calls it "a subtle but beautiful portrait," and Indiewire described it as "a fascinating look at the tricky balancing act of third world activism." 

Seating is limited. Registration Required.