Daniel Battsek NGF acquires First Grader

National Geographic Films

By Ann Thompson - Thompson On Hollywood indieWIRE

With his first fall festival buy since he took over National Geographic Films, ex-Miramax president Daniel Battsek has acquired U.S. rights for Toronto and Telluride title The First Grader. Battsek had been looking for just the right movie that would fit into the National Geographic mandate to reveal something about our world. (Battsek chose not to release National Geographic’s prisoner-of-war film The Way Back, directed by Peter Weir and starring Ed Harris, Colin Farrell and Jim Sturgess, preferring to supervise Newmarket Films instead.) When I spoke to Battsek at TIFF, he said, “I’ll know it when I see it.”

So he found it in this four-hankie true story about an 84-year-old Kenyan’s struggle for learning, which was the runner-up to The King’s Speech for Toronto’s People’s Choice award. “When I saw ‘The First Grader,’ I knew immediately that National Geographic should acquire it,” stated Battsek. “It’s not only about historic political events, but it tells a personal story with great warmth and humor.”

In the film Mau Mau rebel Maruge (Oliver Musila Litondo) seeks to attend the local primary school, figuring he fought for this free education. Teacher Jane Obinchu (Naomie Harris) supports him in this fight against parents and officials. National Geographic also released Afghan War doc Restrepo, Everest adventure The Wildest Dream and the upcoming Desert Flower, Flying Monsters 3D and Blue Man Group : Mind Blast.

The first feature from Origin Pictures, ex-BBC chief David Thompson’s new production company, The First Grader was backed by BBC Films and the (soon-to-be-defunct) UK Film Council in association with Videovision Entertainment, Lip Sync and ARTE France. The Sixth Sense/Origin Pictures Production was directed by Justin Chadwick, written by Ann Peacock and produced by David M. Thompson, Sam Feuer and Richard Harding. Exec producers were Joe Oppenheimer, Anant Singh, Norman Merry and Helena Spring.

US Theatrical Distribution For First Grader

National Geographic Entertainment

By Brian Brooks - indiWIRE

Director Justin Chadwick’s “The First Grader” has been picked up by National Geographic Entertainment for U.S. theatrical distribution. The true tale about an 84-year-old Kenyan’s battle for an education screened at the recent Toronto and Telluride film festivals. It was a runner-up for the Toronto fest’s “People’s Choice Award.”

“The First Grader” tells the true story of Maruge (Oliver Musila Litondo), an old Mau Mau rebel in his eighties, who knocks on the door of a bush primary school, seeking the free education promised by the Kenyan government to everyone. Maruge fought for Kenya’s liberation and now feels he has earned the chance of the education he was denied for so long - even if it means sitting in a first-grade classroom with six-year-olds. The teacher Jane Obinchu (Naomie Harris) supports Maruge’s struggle, and together they face the opposition from parents and officials who think it’s a waste educating this old man. Through his fight to learn how to read, Maruge and his teacher embark on a journey for a better future for himself and his country.

“When I saw ‘The First Grader,’ I knew immediately that National Geographic should acquire it,” commented Daniel Battsek, president of National Geographic Films in a statement. “It’s not only about historic political events, but it tells a personal story with great warmth and humor. ‘The First Grader’ made Telluride and Toronto audiences laugh and cry, but it also made them think about the power of learning.”

Anant Singh at Distant Horizon, which co-financed the film, handled the domestic sale of “The First Grader;” Penny Wolf, at Goldcrest International, is handling international sales.

“The First Grader” is the latest in a string of major acquisitions for NGE including, “Restrepo,” the Everest adventure “The Wildest Dream,” and the upcoming “Desert Flower,” “Flying Monsters 3D” and “Blue Man Group: Mind Blast.”

National Geographic Snags First Grader

National Geographic Entertainment

By Pamela McClintock - Variety

National Geographic Entertainment is going back to school, snagging U.S. rights to Toronto Film Festival entry “The First Grader.”

Festgoers chose the pic as runner-up for the Toronto People’s Choice award. The acquisition caps a particularly busy festival, during which more than a dozen pics found U.S. distribution.

Directed by Justin Chadwick from a script by Ann Peacock, the pic is based on the true story of an 84-year-old Kenyan man’s battle to get an education.

“First Grader,” which garnered favorable critical response at the Telluride and Toronto fests, stars Oliver Musila Litondo and Naomie Harris.

Produced by Sixth Sense/Origin Pictures Productions, “First Grader” is a presentation of BBC Films and the U.K. Film Council in association with Videovision Entertainment, Lip Sync and ARTE France. Producers are David M. Thompson, Sam Feuer and Richard Harding. Joe Oppenheimer, Anant Singh, Norman Merry and Helena Spring exec produced.

“When I saw ‘The First Grader,’ I knew immediately that National Geographic should acquire it. It’s not only about historic political events, but it tells the personal story with great warmth and humor,” National Geographic Entertainment prexy Daniel Battsek said.

Battsek has made a handful of strategic festival buys since arriving at National Geographic from Miramax, including docu “Restrepo” and Mt. Everest adventure “The Wildest Dream,” as well as the upcoming “Desert Flower,” “Flying Monsters 3D” and “Blue Man Group: Mind Blast.”

Origin Pictures’ Thompson called National Geographic a perfect fit for the film.

Distant Horizon’s Singh repped domestic rights to “First Grader” (Distant Horizon co-financed the pic). Goldcrest International’s Penny Wolf is handling international sales.

35th Toronto Film Festival Photos

The First Grader cast and crew photos from the 35th Toronto International Film Festival including portrait photography in the Guess Portrait Studio in the Hyatt Regency Hotel; images of director Justin Chadwick, actress Naomie Harris and actor Oliver Litondo at The Variety Studio at Holt Renfrew on day 3 of the festival; as well as Justin Chadwick, producer David M. Thompson, scriptwriter Ann Peacock and crew at The First Grader Dinner Party held at Opus Restaurant.

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Source : Zimbio.com

The First Grader - Film Review

Telluride Film Festival

By Stephen Farber - The Hollywood Reporter

TELLURIDE, Colo. Stories about inspiring teachers have tantalized moviemakers and movie audiences since the era of Mr. Chips and Miss Dove. The latest incarnation, “The First Grader,” proved to be one of the biggest crowd-pleasers at this year’s Telluride Film Festival. Although the arc of the story might be familiar, the setting and characters are fresh. Art house audiences are likely to discover and embrace the film.

“The First Grader” is set in Kenya and recounts the true story of an 84-year-old farmer and former Mau Mau tribesman who decided to go to school when the country introduced universal education. Screenwriter Ann Peacock introduces Maruge (Oliver Litondo), an old man with a walking stick, as he approaches the new school in his village and asks to enroll. The school authorities are reluctant to admit an octogenarian alongside 6-year-olds, and we gradually learn there are tribal rivalries that also contribute to their suspicion of Maruge. Teacher Jane Obinchu (Naomie Harris) is equally skeptical, but when she observes Maruge’s unyielding determination to learn to read, she becomes his ally, even as she alienates her husband and government authorities who are just as bureaucratically rigid in Kenya as in so many other societies.

The film paints a vivid picture of rural and urban Kenya - Maruge eventually travels to Nairobi to plead his case - and it also sketches some of the forgotten history of the country.

Flashbacks reveal that Maruge suffered in a British prison camp and even lost his family at the hands of the British occupying forces. His past makes it painfully ironic that he faces so much discrimination at the hands of his own countrymen.

Director Justin Chadwick - best known for his superb BBC miniseries adapted from Dickens’ “Bleak House” - insisted on filming on location, and he enlisted locals for most of the roles in the film. Working with cinematographer Rob Hardy, he brings the countryside alive and also provides fascinating insights into a forgotten chapter of British colonial history.

Scenes in the classroom are entertainingly vital, aided by the natural performances of the Kenyan children. But the film shares the failing of many other films about inspiring teachers: It asserts that Jane is a marvelous influence on her students but doesn’t succeed in dramatizing revelatory moments in the classroom that might change the course of a young person’s life.

Because the writing falls down in some of these scenes, it helps that Harris - a veteran of small British movies as well as the gargantuan “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise - brings so much passion to her performance. She conveys Jane’s utter dedication while always leavening her performance with convincing moments of doubt and vulnerability. Litondo’s innate dignity is another major asset to the production. Chadwick 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 worldwide.

Venue : Telluride Film Festival

Cast : Naomie Harris, Oliver Litondo, Tony Kgoroge, Shoki Mokgapa, Alfred Munyua, Vusi Kunene
Director : Justin Chadwick
Screenwriter : Ann Peacock
Producers : Sam Feuer, Richard Harding, David M. Thompson
Executive producers : Norman Merry, Joe Oppenheimer, Anant Singh, Helena Spring
Director of photography : Rob Hardy
Production designer : Vittoria Sogno
Music : Alex Heffes
Costume designer: Sophie Oprisano
Editor : Paul Knight

No rating, 105 minutes