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 (Friday 12th June)

20:15

Fairyland 15
1h 56m
Set in San Francisco from the 1970s to 1980s, this drama follows a father and daughter navigating bohemian life and social change as their bond is tested by the AIDS crisis. Adapted from Alysia Abbott’s memoir, it’s a tender coming-of-age story of love and resilience.

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23:00

Army of Darkness 15
1h 21m
To celebrate 10 amazing and chaotic years of Oxford’s underground, gonzo movie night, Cinema Under the Stairs, the gang bring Sam Raimi’s Army of Darkness to the UPP for a special evening of midnight movie mania. Book now to avoid disappointment. GROOVY!

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Tomorrow (Saturday 13th June)

14:45

Eagles of the Republic 15
2h 8m | Arabic w/ English subtitles
Under pressure from Egyptian authorities, an actor reluctantly stars in a state-backed film, only to become entangled in a dangerous affair with a general’s wife. Award-winning filmmaker Tarik Saleh (The Nile Hilton Incident) delivers a satirical political thriller set amid corruption in Cairo.

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17:45

The Lodger PG
+ Live Score
1h 30m
A serial killer is on the loose in London and a detective is assigned to the case. Viola player and filmmaker Hugo Max presents his fourth UK tour accompanying Alfred Hitchcock’s 1927 silent masterwork The Lodger with live score.

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20:15

Backrooms 15
1h 45m
When a patient vanishes through a strange basement doorway of a furniture showroom, his therapist follows him into a disorienting dimension. Expanding Kane Parsons’ cult online series, this feature-length adaptation stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve and bringing “liminal horror” to the big screen.

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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!