All Films

The First Grader (The First Grader)

Closing Night Gala

Synopsis

The inspirational story of an 84-year-old former Mau Mau rebel in a Kenyan village who tries to enroll in a local school and learn to read, this powerful film is a deep and rich exploration of a man's life-long fight for dignity and freedom. The film presents one man's intensely personal quest to receive an education, but it is also a portrait of a generation that transformed the face of colonial Africa by fighting for freedom. The use of flashback allows the audience to see the extraordinary hardships this man faced in his youth as an anti-colonial soldier, which is juxtaposed brilliantly with his struggle to attend school in his old age. The powerful sentiment of director Justin Chadwick's film does not simply lie in the fact that he goes back to school - it is in his dignity. Featuring outstanding performances by Oliver Litondo and Naomie Harris, "The First Grader" reminds audiences of the resilient nature of the human spirit.

Official Film Website

About the Directors

Justin Chadwick
Born in Salford, England, Chadwick graduated from Leicester College of the Performing Arts. He is an award-winning theatre, television and film director. Chadwick's directorial debut, the 1993 TV movie "Family Style" starring Ewan McGregor, was followed by episodes of "Bleak House" and the feature "The Other Boleyn Girl." "The First Grader" is his second feature.

Credits

Director

Justin Chadwick

Screenwriter

Ann Peacock

Producer

David M. Thompson, Sam Feuer, Richard Harding

Editor

Paul Knight

Production Designer

Vittoria Sogno

Executive Producer

Joe Oppenheimer, Norman Merry, Anant Singh, Helena Spring

Cast

Naomie Harris, Oliver Musila Litondo

Top of page