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?

Tomorrow (Saturday 4th July)

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Akira 15
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Sunday 5th July

14:30

Akira 15
2h 4m | Japanese w/ English subtitles
Neo-Tokyo has risen from the ruins of World War III – a dazzling, corrupt metropolis where two delinquent bikers are pulled into a secret government experiment with catastrophic consequences. Katsuhiro Otomo's landmark 1988 adaptation of his own manga remains one of cinema's great visionary works.

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17:15

Familiar Touch 12A
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Believing she is heading out for a date, retired cook Ruth instead finds herself in an assisted living facility for people living with dementia. Sarah Friedland's Venice-awarded debut follows the rhythms of Ruth's shifting memory with quiet precision and profound tenderness.

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19:30

Disclosure Day 12A
2h 25m
When a Kansas City meteorologist intercepts an inexplicable alien signal during a live broadcast, she begins to unravel a decades-long government cover-up. Steven Spielberg returns to sci-fi with a summer blockbuster of genuine scale and philosophical weight, led by Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor.

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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!