Movies

FIRST GRADER TRAILER | Out in the UK June 24th

Justin Chadwick directs this heartwarming tale based on a true story. When the Kenyan government promises free education for all, 84 year old Maruge (Oliver Litando in his debut role) makes his way to a remote primary school in the Kenyan bush to get himself the education he has always been denied. An old Mau Mau warrior, fifty years before he fought for the liberation of his country, and now he must fight for his right to sit in a classroom, alongside a class of six-year-olds, and learn to read. Moved by his passionate plea, head teacher Jane (Naomie Harris) 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, and filmed in the exhilarating landscape of Kenya's Rift Valley, this is based on the true life story of a man's determination to learn, the power of education and the shocking untold history of British colonial rule in Kenya.