The First Grader

Kenya, United Kingdom

2010

98 Min

Color

English

Currently 3.3/5 Stars.
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EXEC Norman Merry, Joe Oppenheimer, Anant Singh, Helena Spring

PROD Sam Feuer, Richard Harding, David M. Thompson

CAST Naomie Harris, Oliver Litondo, Tony Kgoroge, Nick Reding, Vusi Kunene, Sam Feuer, John Sibi Okumu, Shoki Mokgapa, Mumbi Kaigwa

SOUND Nico Louw

London (Galas & Special Screenings), Telluride, Toronto (Contemporary World Cinema)

Synopsis

The premise is irresistible. When the government of Kenya announces it will offer free primary education for the first time, an 84-year-old man shows up on the doorstep of a rural school, ready for class. Having never had the benefit of an education, Kimani N’gan’ga Maruge figures it’s never too late to start. Towering over the little children at their desks, he is just as eager to learn. —indieWIRE

Director

Justin Chadwick

Justin Chadwick (born 6 December 1968 in Salford, Lancashire) is an English actor and television and film director.

Chadwick began acting at the age of eleven.He graduated from the University of Leicester and in 1991 made his screen debut in London Kills Me. Additional acting credits include The Loss of Sexual Innocence and appearances in the television dramas Heartbeat, Dangerfield, Dalziel and Pascoe, and others.

Chadwick’s directorial debut was the 1993 television movie Family Style starring Ewan McGregor, after which he directed and performed in Shakespeare Shorts, a series that explored the history of Shakespearean characters and presented them in key scenes from the plays in which they appeared. He directed episodes of EastEnders, Byker Grove, The Bill, Spooks, and Red Cap before directing nine of the fifteen episodes of the mini-series Bleak House, which was broadcast by the BBC in the UK and by PBS in the United States as part of its Masterpiece Theatre series… read more

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Michael Harbour

16Jan12

Very good but not great by-the-numbers uplifting story about kids and old people and education being a good thing and how you gotta show some resolve and determination develops a dark undercurrent and unexpected depth as background and history are revealed to the audience.

msmichel

28May11

A formulaic crowd pleaser with a heart of gold. For some thats a recomendation for others a complete turn off. A story so outrageous it could only be true. Pedestrian direction from Chadwick that squanders bigger opportunities saved by performances by Litondo and Naomie Harris. Not a total bust by any stretch but one becomes conscience of being manipulated.