The Shadow Scholars + Q&ACert-TBC

Directed by Eloise King | UK | 2024 | 1h 37m

Oxford professor Patricia Kingori delves into the hidden, multi-billion-dollar “fake essay” industry, where an estimated 40,000 highly educated Kenyans earn a living by writing academic papers for students around the world. These “shadow scholars” help students in countries like the UK secure degrees and launch lucrative careers, all without doing the work themselves. Travelling to Nairobi to meet the ghostwriters, Patricia exposes this invisible workforce and questions the true value of academic qualifications in a world where degrees can be bought.

One-off screening followed by a Q&A with Professor Patricia Kingori (University of Oxford) and Carli Coetzee (President of the African Studies Association). 

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed The Shadow Scholars + Q&A between September 16, 2025 and September 16, 2025.

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What else is on?

Today (Monday 18th May)

17:45

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Tomorrow (Tuesday 19th May)

17:30

The North 15
£6 for Members
2h 13m | Dutch w/ English subtitles
Reuniting after a decade, friends Chris and Lluis undertake a 600km hike across the Scottish Highlands. Shot in sequence, their journey along remote trails becomes a powerful study of friendship and the emotional terrain between reconciliation and self-discovery.

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20:30

The Stranger 15
£6 for Members
2h 2m | French w/ English subtitles
Set in French Algeria, Meursault drifts through life until his mother’s death sparks judgment, conflict, and tragedy. François Ozon’s sensitive, queer-inflected adaptation illuminates the emotional and moral complexities at the heart of Albert Camus’s existential masterpiece.

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Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!