Film Screening: The Shadow Scholars
Tuesday, 16 September 2025, 6pm to 8pm
Ultimate Picture Palace, Jeune Street, Oxford, OX4 1BN
The Shadow Scholars | UK | 2024 | 1h 37m
Screening followed by a Q&A.
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.
Directed by Eloise King | Executive Produced by Steve McQueen and Patricia Kingori
In London there is a screening with Q&A at Bertha DocHouse on Thursday 18 September at 6.20pm, Bloomsbury London. Book tickets here.
More dates and locations are coming.