The First Grader ( The 1st Grader )

The First Grader (Blu-Ray) (*)

Out of Stock

Original Title: The 1st Grader
Screened, competed or awarded at:
Toronto International Film Festival
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 )
English ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
Australia ( Blu-Ray/Region B )

Running Time:
103 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (1.78:1)

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Scene Access

Movie filmed in 2010 and produced in:
Kenya ( Africa, Middle East )
United Kingdom ( Great Britain, Ireland )
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
Justin Chadwick

Written By:
Ann Peacock

Actors:
Oliver Litondo ..... Kimani N'gan'ga Maruge
Emily Njoki ..... Young Maruge's wife
Hannah Wacera ..... Maruge's Daughter
John Kimani ..... Maruge's Baby Son
Lwanda Jawar ..... Young Maruge
Dan 'Churchill' Ndambuki ..... DJ Masha
Macharia Kamau ..... DJ's PA
Abubakar Mwenda ..... Boie
Tom Gitau ..... Old Codger
Watson Mbirua ..... Old Codger
Shadrack Murimi Gachuhi ..... Old Codger
Mwenga Matilika ..... Old Codger
Agnes Simaloi ..... Agnes
Alfred Munyua ..... Teacher Alfred
Naomie Harris ..... Jane Obinchu

Synopsis:

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, 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.

Set in a mountain village in Kenya the film tells the remarkable true and uplifting story of a proud old Mau Mau veteran who is determined to seize his last chance to learn to read and write - and so ends up joining a class alongside six year-olds. Together he and his young teacher face fierce resistance, but ultimately they win through - and also find a new way of overcoming the burdens of the colonial past.

This product was added to our catalog on Thursday 16 August, 2012.