The First Grader

The First Grader

It's never too late to dream.

PG-13 2010 · 103 min · ★ 7.1 · Drama, History, Romance

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.

Directed by Justin Chadwick · Written by Ann Peacock

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Rent or Buy

JustWatch TVAmazon VideoApple TV StoreGoogle Play MoviesYouTubeFandango At Home

Cast

Make it a double feature

4h 4m together

Both from Justin Chadwick.

More from Justin ChadwickSee all →

Daylight RobberyDaylight Robbery · 1999
Daylight Robbery
★ 8.71999
SeriesDrama
Daylight Robbery is a British television drama mini-series that aired on ITV from 9 September 1999 to 18 December 2000. Focusing on four Essex women struggling with personal and domestic problems, decide to turn to crime to make ends meet.
Life ForceLife Force · 2000
Life Force
★ 8.32000
SeriesSci-Fi & FantasyKids
Two psychic children, two parentless siblings, and their environmentalist guardian try to rescue the globally warmed world of 2025, protect vulnerable lives, and stay ahead of an oppressive government in a dramatic sci-fi thriller.
Au PairAu Pair · 1994
Au Pair
★ 8.01994
MovieRomance
A coming of age comedy about Susan, a young Welsh woman who leaves her quiet country for Germany in search of some real adventure. She falls in love with her boss's lover, but when Susan's boyfriend from Wales shows up, sparks begin to fly.
Alive and KickingAlive and Kicking · 1991
Alive and Kicking
★ 8.01991
MovieComedyDrama
Gritty and powerful Screen One film that takes an unflinching look at drug addiction. Lenny Henry plays a dealer convinced he is untouchable, Robbie Coltrane the ex-gangster turned drug counsellor who is determined to break him. Writer Al Hunter (The Firm) was inspired by the true story of a football team founded to help drug addicts kick their habit.
Bleak HouseBleak House · 2005
Bleak House
★ 8.02005
SeriesDrama
The generous John Jarndyce, struggling with his own past, and his two young wards Richard and Ada, are all caught up, like Lady Dedlock, in the infamous case of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce, which will make one of them rich beyond imagination if it can ever be brought to a conclusion. As Tulkinghorn digs deeper into Lady Dedlock's past, he unearths a secret that will change their lives forever, and which is almost as astounding as the final outcome of the Jarndyce case.
The Tide of LifeThe Tide of Life · 1996
The Tide of Life
★ 8.01996
SeriesDrama
Tide of Life is a three-part miniseries adaptation of Catherine Cookson's 1976 novel of the same name. Produced by the BBC, it was broadcast on ITV1 over three Fridays in January 1996. Young housekeeper Emily Kennedy learns about relationships with three very different men. Forced from home of her first employer, Sep McGilby, after his plans to marry her come to tragic end, Emily finds work for farmer Larry Birch. Another misfortune occurs, and when Nick Stuart inherits the farm owned by Birch's wife, Nick gives Emily a new future.
Helen WestHelen West · 2002
Helen West
★ 8.02002
SeriesDramaMystery
Helen West is crusading senior prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service. Her life is complicated by her ongoing affair with a senior police officer.
SpooksSpooks · 2002
Spooks
★ 7.72002
SeriesDramaAction & Adventure
Tense drama series about the different challenges faced by the British Security Service as they work against the clock to safeguard the nation. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, and the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a highly secure suite of offices known as The Grid.
Natalie Portman - Vom Kinderstar zur Hollywood-IkoneNatalie Portman - Vom Kinderstar zur Hollywood-Ikone · 2025
Natalie Portman - Vom Kinderstar zur Hollywood-Ikone
★ 7.32025
MovieDocumentary
Portrait of an actress in constant evolution who, through risk-taking and side steps, has emancipated herself from the overly polished image forged by the Star Wars trilogy to become a talented and committed artist, a recognized ambassador for the feminist cause.
HeartbeatHeartbeat · 1992
Heartbeat
★ 7.11992
SeriesCrimeDrama
Set during the 1960s in the fictional North Yorkshire village of Aidensfield, this enduringly popular series interweaves crime and medical storylines.
The Vanishing ManThe Vanishing Man · 1997
The Vanishing Man
★ 7.01997
SeriesSci-Fi & FantasyMystery
The Vanishing Man is a 1998 British television programme created by Anthony Horowitz for ITV, and starring Neil Morrissey as Nick Cameron, wrongly imprisoned for smuggling plutonium, who used it for medical research – it turns him invisible when in contact with water. Having escaped from prison, his powers are then utilised by a government agency. The six-episode series is a sequel to the 1997 TV movie of the same name.
Mandela: Long Walk to FreedomMandela: Long Walk to Freedom · 2013
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
★ 6.92013
MovieDramaHistory
A chronicle of Nelson Mandela's life journey from his childhood in a rural village through to his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa.
The BillThe Bill · 1984
The Bill
★ 6.81984
SeriesCrimeDrama
The daily lives of the men and women at Sun Hill Police Station as they fight crime on the streets of London. From bomb threats to armed robbery and drug raids to the routine demands of policing this ground-breaking series focuses as much on crime as it does on the personal lives of its characters.
The Other Boleyn GirlThe Other Boleyn Girl · 2008
The Other Boleyn Girl
★ 6.72008
MovieDramaRomance
A sumptuous and sensual tale of intrigue, romance and betrayal set against the backdrop of a defining moment in European history: two beautiful sisters, Anne and Mary Boleyn, driven by their family's blind ambition, compete for the love of the handsome and passionate King Henry VIII.
ShardlakeShardlake · 2024
Shardlake
★ 6.72024
SeriesDramaMystery
The year is 1536. Lawyer Matthew Shardlake finds his life turned upside down when Thomas Cromwell sends him to investigate a suspicious death at the remote monastery of Scarnsea. Deception, deceit, and corruption are rife as it soon becomes clear that the murder is not the first. Shardlake is drawn into a web of lies that threatens not only his integrity but his life.
Becoming ElizabethBecoming Elizabeth · 2022
Becoming Elizabeth
★ 6.72022
SeriesDrama
The fascinating story of the early life of England’s most iconic Queen, Elizabeth Tudor, an orphaned teenager who became embroiled in the political and sexual politics of the English court on her journey to obtain the crown.

More Like This

A Prayer Before DawnA Prayer Before Dawn · 2018
A Prayer Before Dawn
★ 6.72018
MovieDramaAction
The amazing true story of Billy Moore, an English boxer incarcerated in Thailand’s most notorious prison. Thrown into a world of drugs and violence, he finds his best chance to escape is to fight his way out in prison Muay Thai tournaments.
NurembergNuremberg · 2025
Nuremberg
★ 7.62025
MovieHistoryDrama
In postwar Germany, an American psychiatrist must determine whether Nazi prisoners are fit to go on trial for war crimes, and finds himself in a complex battle of intellect and ethics with Hermann Göring, Hitler's right-hand man.
UndercoverUndercover · 2024
Undercover
★ 7.12024
MovieDramaCrime
Basque Country, Spain, late nineties. A young policewoman manages to infiltrate the ruthless terrorist gang ETA.
Walk. Ride. Rodeo.Walk. Ride. Rodeo. · 2019
Walk. Ride. Rodeo.
★ 7.02019
MovieDrama
Tells the incredible true story of Amberley Snyder, a nationally ranked rodeo barrel racer who defies the odds after barely surviving a car accident that leaves her paralyzed from the waist down.
A Regular WomanA Regular Woman · 2019
A Regular Woman
★ 7.42019
MovieDrama
Hatun Aynur Sürücü, a German woman of Kurdish origin, was shot dead by her brothers at a bus stop in 2005. The story of a woman who fought for her freedom and independence despite her family's objections, and whose life ended in a horrific murder.
Judas and the Black MessiahJudas and the Black Messiah · 2021
Judas and the Black Messiah
★ 7.32021
MovieDramaHistory
Bill O'Neal infiltrates the Black Panthers on the orders of FBI Agent Mitchell and J. Edgar Hoover. As Black Panther Chairman Fred Hampton ascends—falling for a fellow revolutionary en route—a battle wages for O’Neal’s soul.
Our FriendOur Friend · 2019
Our Friend
★ 7.22019
MovieDramaRomance
After learning that his terminally ill wife has six months to live, a man welcomes the support of his best friend who moves into their home to help out.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter