The First Grader - Georgina Community Film Circuit

Details:
Based on a true story, The First Grader is an inspiring tale about the universal human desire to improve ourselves.  An audience favourite at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival®, the story follows Kimani N'gan'ga Maruge (Oliver Litondo), an eighty-four-year-old man who shows up on the doorstep of a rural school after the government of Kenya announces it will offer free primary education. Having never had the opportunity to learn and attend school, he figures it’s never too late to start.

A Mau Mau veteran, Maruge helped liberate Kenya from British colonial rule. He spent his youth fighting for freedom and now his final goal in life is to learn to read. But when he arrives at the school gate, teacher Jane (Naomie Harris) must turn him away. She has no legal reason, so she says he’ll need books and a pencil. Maruge returns with both. When she tells him he’ll need a uniform, Maruge comes back wearing a school uniform – short pants and all.  Impressed with his resilience, she brings the old man into her school, giving him a chance to learn to read, as well as to come to terms with his difficult past.

FILM INFORMATION
Director: Justin Chadwick
Cast: Naomie Harris, Oliver Musila Litondo
Year: 2011
Runtime: 98 minutes
Country: UK
Language: English
Distributor: Maple Pictures

SCREENING DATES AND TIMES
Circuit Centre: Georgina
Province: Ontario
Circuit Group Name: Georgina Community Film Circuit
Venue:Stephen Leacock Theatre