[go: up one dir, main page]

    Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideToronto Int'l Film FestivalIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Le plus vieil écolier du monde

Original title: The First Grader
  • 2010
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 43m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
5K
YOUR RATING
Justin Chadwick, Naomie Harris, Oliver Litondo, Ann Peacock, David M. Thompson, and Sam Feuer in Le plus vieil écolier du monde (2010)
The true story of an 84 year-old Kenyan villager and ex Mau Mau freedom fighter who fights for his right to go to school for the first time to get the education he could never afford.
Play trailer2:13
2 Videos
99+ Photos
BiographyDramaRomance

The story of an 84 year-old Kenyan villager and ex Mau Mau veteran who fights for his right to go to school for the first time to get the education he could never afford.The story of an 84 year-old Kenyan villager and ex Mau Mau veteran who fights for his right to go to school for the first time to get the education he could never afford.The story of an 84 year-old Kenyan villager and ex Mau Mau veteran who fights for his right to go to school for the first time to get the education he could never afford.

  • Director
    • Justin Chadwick
  • Writer
    • Ann Peacock
  • Stars
    • Naomie Harris
    • Oliver Litondo
    • Tony Kgoroge
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.4/10
    5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Justin Chadwick
    • Writer
      • Ann Peacock
    • Stars
      • Naomie Harris
      • Oliver Litondo
      • Tony Kgoroge
    • 23User reviews
    • 61Critic reviews
    • 56Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 18 wins & 12 nominations total

    Videos2

    The First Grader
    Trailer 2:13
    The First Grader
    THE FIRST GRADER
    Trailer 2:20
    THE FIRST GRADER
    THE FIRST GRADER
    Trailer 2:20
    THE FIRST GRADER

    Photos122

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 116
    View Poster

    Top cast50

    Edit
    Naomie Harris
    Naomie Harris
    • Jane Obinchu
    Oliver Litondo
    Oliver Litondo
    • Kimani Ng'ang'a Maruge
    Tony Kgoroge
    • Charles Obinchu
    Alfred Munyua
    • Teacher Alfred
    Shoki Mokgapa
    • Teacher Elizabeth
    Vusi Kunene
    Vusi Kunene
    • Mr. Kipruto
    • (as Vusumuzi Michael Kunene)
    Agnes Simaloi
    • Agnes
    Kamau Mbaya
    • Kamau Chege
    Emily Njoki
    • Young Maruge's Wife
    Lwanda Jawar
    • Young Maruge
    Dan 'Churchill' Ndambuki
    • DJ Masha
    • (as Daniel Ndambuki 'Churchill')
    Hannah Wacera
    • Maruge's Daughter
    John Kimani
    • Maruge's Baby Son
    Macharia Kamau
    • DJ's PA
    Abubakar Mwenda
    • Boie
    Tom Gitau
    • Old Codger
    Watson Mbirua
    • Old Codger
    Shadrack Murimi Gachuhi
    • Old Codger
    • Director
      • Justin Chadwick
    • Writer
      • Ann Peacock
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews23

    7.44.9K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    10rfurbert

    Important film. Not to be missed!

    I just saw this movie yesterday, and I felt that it was so well made, so touching, so inspiring, and so important. It is a rare kind of movie that teaches you history, shows you other people's struggles, and moves you emotionally because it captures the strength of the human spirit.

    This movie is important because it shows that it is possible to overcome adversity and makes you believe that it is never too late to attain those things that are valuable to you. It also really brings into focus the power and importance of education.

    I'm really glad that I saw this movie, and I hope that many other people will go see it as well.
    10a_hudson-884-493137

    I just saw this film at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival.

    I just saw this film, yesterday, at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival.

    I think this is the first time that I can say that a film has had a profound affect upon me. It's a fantastic story, and what makes it all the more amazing, as confirmed by Justin Chadwick at the festival, everything you see in the film is true and actually happened.

    I am not ashamed to admit that I was moved to tears, and these were not tears of joy. Emotionally, this is a heavyweight amongst films.

    The film also left me not being very proud to be British. It covers, in flash back, a part of our history that I am sure most of my fellow countrymen would wish had never happened.

    I would strongly recommend that every Britain and every Kenyan watches this film. It will move them all to tears, and teach us all lessons we should not forget for the future.

    If you do go to watch it, take plenty of handkerchiefs. You'll need them!
    8MikeyB1793

    Truly Wonderful!

    This is a wonderful and inspiring film. It's about a teacher and an eighty year old pupil who wants to learn to read who has never had a formal education. It's also about history, Africa, colonialism – it takes in a lot of diverse topics and it does it all rather well. It's not one of these syrupy films where all the villagers unite behind the teacher and her new elder pupil – in fact the opposite happens.

    The film has a distinctive African authenticity – the classroom, the village, the different tribal groupings... One only wishes there could be more films like this instead of the vapid drivel that we are being constantly offered (such as fantasy action films...)
    ecstatic-tickle

    1st class.

    Glorious acting by the leads, a charming yet affecting screenplay, taut direction and above all stunning cinematography - all making for a gem of a film.

    Due the nature of the story (daww, an 84 year-old guy in Kenya learning his ABCs with all the little kids...) some scenes skim dangerously close to being too cute and sentimental but thankfully the harrowing background to the story and gutwrenching depiction of conflicts in the past, along with the personal tragedy at the heart of the story make this such a moving film. Both Naomie Harris and Oliver Litondo deliver phenomenal performances, the latter in particular I think deserves Oscar consideration.
    8roguegrafix

    An Important Film on Many Levels

    This is a very good movie which operates at various levels. Ostensibly about an 84 year-old man going to primary school for the first time, it also covers (in graphic detail) a dark period in Kenya's and Britain's past: The Mau Mau Rebellion.

    The issues raised are complex: the right for an old man to an education even if it excludes another child in a country of stretched educational resources; the fight for freedom and the integrity of an oath; and the battle against officialdom are but a few. Above all, it's a struggle against adversity on a variety of levels, both past and present.

    The Mau Mau Rebellion is often overlooked in histories outside Kenya and this is well portrayed in the film. At times it is frightening and certainly very threatening and the director contrasts the flashbacks of the past with those of the present.

    The acting, cinematography, editing are excellent. As is the beautiful yet unobtrusive soundtrack. And even though it becomes a tad clichéd, it is still an impressive and inspiring story. I was very moved by it—not least the dignity of the old man given all the injustices he suffered. Certainly worth a watch and better than a lot of movies I have seen this year.

    More like this

    Goodbye Bafana
    7.1
    Goodbye Bafana
    La Dame de Katwe
    7.4
    La Dame de Katwe
    Mandela: Un long chemin vers la liberté
    7.1
    Mandela: Un long chemin vers la liberté
    Nairobi Half Life
    7.3
    Nairobi Half Life
    Le géant égoïste
    7.3
    Le géant égoïste
    Blood and Oil
    6.3
    Blood and Oil
    Les élèves du cours préparatoire
    7.2
    Les élèves du cours préparatoire
    Beat the Drum
    7.1
    Beat the Drum
    Poppy Shakespeare
    7.2
    Poppy Shakespeare
    Living in Hope
    4.9
    Living in Hope
    Des mains en or
    7.4
    Des mains en or
    Supa Modo
    7.2
    Supa Modo

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Tony Kgoroge is a frequent collaborator with director Justin Chadwick, having also appeared in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013), another film Chadwick directed.
    • Quotes

      Kimani Ng'ang'a Maruge: I will continue learning, I want to become a vet.

      Jane Obinchu: [laughing] A vet? Maruge, you'll be almost 100 years old.

      Kimani Ng'ang'a Maruge: I will never stop learning until I have soil in my ears.

    • Crazy credits
      During the initial credits, there is 1. a photo of the real Maruge with some students. 2. a scene with the DJ mentioning Maruge's trip to the UN, and predicting that a Kenyan will ascend to the White House. 3. more scenes of the children at the school
    • Connections
      Featured in Maltin on Movies: The Hangover: Part II (2011)
    • Soundtracks
      Courage
      Artist: Vieux Farka Touré (as Vieux Farka Toure) Featuring Issa Bamba & Eric Herman

      Composer: Eric Herman

      Master: Modiba Productions LLC

      Publisher: Eric M Herman Publishing

      Used by permission.

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ19

    • How long is The First Grader?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 24, 2011 (Ireland)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Kenya
      • France
      • South Africa
    • Official sites
      • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Languages
      • English
      • Swahili
    • Also known as
      • The First Grader
    • Filming locations
      • Kenya
    • Production companies
      • BBC Film
      • UK Film Council
      • Videovision Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $332,000
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $20,437
      • May 15, 2011
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,237,457
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 43m(103 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.