By George Orido
When he took the opportunity to go to school, the late Kimani Maruge wanted to just know "how to read the bible".
When critics faulted him for waiting for over 80 years to join school, he refused to be discouraged and went to become a hardworking pupil. He did not set out to make any records, but he won a place in history as the oldest pupil. His story became an inspiration to many and it is now a subject of a highly anticipated movie, The First Grader.
The movie will be released in June this year, a few months to November when Maruge who died aged 84 would have sat for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education.
Boost to industry
According to the producer Richard Harding of Sixth Sense Productions who financed the feature film, this will be the first ever big film premier in Kenya.
The project has been developed by BBC Films with Sixth Sense Productions and Origin and has attracted cash backing from the UK Film Council, Videovision Entertainment and Lypsync Productions among others.
The film was inspired by Kimani Maruge’s life as the oldest pupil. |
shooting last week and is co-starring Kenya’s Oliver Litondo as Maruge and British film star Naomie Harris.
Naomie has starred Hollywood productions including Ninja Assassin, Pirates of the
Caribbean, and 28 Days Later.
This is a Kenyan story acted mainly
by locals. The bulk of production crew is also Kenyan save for some heads of departments like directing and cinematography.
"We had to bring in seasoned film
makers from South Africa and Britain to fill in the gaps," explains Harding took interest in Maruge’s story after reading an article on Los
Angeles Times.
Besides being an inspiring story that also highlights the importance for education for all, shooting the film is Kenya was a big plus for the local industry.
According to Ms Lizzie Chongoti the Kenya Film Commission CEO, the producers turned down South Africa’s request to be location of choice.
Maruge’s journey
"They had to forfeit lucrative offers from the country just to have it shot here in Kenya," says Chongoti. She said if Kenya became the shooting location of choice, the industry could bring in Sh40 billion a year.
Other local stars in the movie are Daniel Ndambuki aka Churchill and Mr Jeff Koinange among others.
The First Grader begins with story in a small, remote
mountain top primary school; hundreds of children are jostling for a chance for the free education newly promised by the 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 late 70s 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 .
Moved by his passionate plea, head teacher Jane Obinchu (Harris) supports his struggle to gain admission and together they face fierce
opposition from parents and officials who do not want to waste a precious school place on such an old man.
Full of vitality and humour, the film explores the
remarkable relationships Maruge builds with his classmates some 80 years his junior.
Through Maruge’s journey, we are taken back to the untold story of British colonial rule 50 years earlier when Maruge fought for the freedom, eventually ending up in British detention camps.
The First Grader is a heart warming and inspiring tale of one man’s fight for what he believes is his right in order to overcome the burdens of his past.
The Nairobi premiere will offer a rare convergence of some Hollywood stars and international media personalities thus creating a platform for networking and giving the Kenyan film industry the
much needed impetus.
