This inspiring true story of one man’s fight for the right to learn is a testimony to the transformative power of education. Director Justin Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl, Bleak House) captures the vitality and humor of an incredible tale of lifelong learning.
In a small remote grade school in the Kenya, hundreds of children jostle for a chance at free education newly promised by the Kenyan government. One applicant creates a stir: Maruge, an old Mau Mau veteran in his eighties. Having fought for the liberation of his country, he is determined to learn how to read–even if it means sitting in a classroom alongside six-year-olds.
Impressed by his tenacity, the teacher supports his quest for admission to the school, but they face opposition from parents and officials who feel that education would be wasted on the old. What he lacks in basic skills, he more than makes up for in his life experiences that he can share with the youngsters. An official selection of the Telluride, Toronto, and London film festivals. 2010, 35mm, 103 minutes. Opens May 27 at the Edina 4 Cinema.
Followed by a post-screening discussion with director Justin Chadwick.