THE FIRST GRADER
DIRECTOR
- Justin Chadwick
CAST - Naomie Harris, Oliver Litondo, Vusi Kunene, Tony Kgoroge
In
a small, remote mountain top primary school in the Kenyan bush, hundreds of children
are jostling for a chance for the free education newly promised by the Kenyan
government.
One new applicant causes astonishment when he knocks
on the door of the school. He is Maruge (Oliver Litondo), an old Mau Mau veteran
in his eighties, who is desperate to learn to read at this late stage of his life.
He fought for the liberation of his country and now feels he must have the chance
of an education so long denied - even if it means sitting in a classroom alongside
six-year-olds.
Moved by his passionate plea, head teacher Jane
Obinchu (Naomie Harris who will be seen later as Moneypenny in Bond23), supports
his struggle to gain admission and together they face fierce opposition from parents
and officials who don't want to waste a precious school place on such an old man.
Full
of vitality and humour, the film explores the remarkable relationships Maruge
builds with his classmates some eighty years his junior. Through Maruge's journey,
we are taken back to the shocking untold story of British colonial rule 50 years
earlier where Maruge fought for the freedom of his country, eventually ending
up in the extreme and harsh conditions of the British detention camps.
**Audience
Prize for Best Film - Doha Tribeca Film Festival
**Best Director's Choice &
Audience Choice Award - Sedona Film Festival
**Audience Choice Award - The
Pan African Film Festival
**Best Feature Film Award - Palm Beach Film Festival
**Audience
Choice Award - Nashville International Film Festival
**Audience Prize for Best
Film - 360/365 Film Festival, Rochester
IN CINEMAS NOVEMBER 17
