Shakefire writes, "or most of us, we experience first grade around the age of six or seven. For Kimani Maruge, he was 84. Based on a true story, The First Grader explores the education system in a small Kenyan village as standards are broken and a man dreams to have the same opportunity as everyone else.
When a government ordinance provides free schooling for everyone, 84-year-old Maruge (Oliver Litondo) takes it upon himself to get an education he previously could never afford. Naturally, an old man going to school with little kids isn’t going to sit over well with the rest of the community but with the help of Teacher Jane (Naomie Harris), he is able to enroll in school where he wants to learn to read and write."
TMP got the chance to sit down with Director Justin Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl) on his newest film; The First Grader, the true story about an 84 year old former freedom fight in Africa who went back to school to get the education he'd been denied. Justin Chadwick explains his inspiration for the film and the impact it's had on his own life.
