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The First Grader captivates audience Sunday, 31 October 2010 06:20
By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA:
The First Grader, the story of an inspirational story about a former Mau rebel who enters a Kenyan school to learn to read, became the centre of attraction on the closing night of the second Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF).
The film won the Audience Awards for Best Narrative Film. “I thank the Doha Doha Tribeca Film Festival for embracing the film,” said Justin Chadwick, the British director of the movie. Although the arc of the story might be familiar, the setting and characters are fresh. Cultural Village Katara Opera House audiences discovered and embraced the film. Chadwick and his cast has done an excellent job in making a Kenyan story so clearly tailored to Hollywood specifications.
The First Grader
The Peninsula
chronicles the story of a 84-year-old Kenyan villager Kimani Maruge, who made history in 2003 as the oldest person ever to enrol at a children’s school. Wishing to learn to read and write, he accepted an offer by his government. So far, so twinkly, but Maruge’s background lends the film a more sombre palette. In the 1950s, he was a member of the Mau Mau anti-colonial resistance movement, and was beaten and tortured by the British. As such he’s a walking, if creaky, symbol of Kenyan independence.The film employs a real Kenyan village classroom with five pupils to a desk. Chadwick makes the most of the adorable kids, and also makes Kenya look stunning.
“There was a nerve about the film; we did it in a place where there is no infrastructure. It was a very remote village,” said Chadwick.
He elicits excellent performances from his two leads. Oliver Litondo, a veteran actor with a haunted expression, knows how to dominate the screen, while Naomie Harris is an effective foil as Teacher Jane, a calm, kindly authority figure. Speaking about his experience of portraying Maruge’s story is true find himself more determined after doing the character.
“I found how to be determined to get what we need,” said Litondo. He also remembered his first teachers. “My first teachers were my parents then was my primary teacher Sussie.” He added that there were some changes made to the original script. “Some changes were made to the original script. It had no humor but was added later,” said Litondo.
“The response here was amazing. The film is genuinely touched by the people. We are thinking of taking the film to the actual school,” said Harris.
The film strikes a perfect balance between humor and tragic gravity, and the result is that an unknown story seems certain to stir the hearts of audiences.