The Teacher Who Promised the Sea (DVD)

Inspired by extraordinary true events, Patricia Font’s superb new drama follows a charismatic teacher whose progressive outlook transforms the lives of a group of young students on the eve of the Spanish Civil War, but places him in the crossfire of local authorities. 1935. Idealistic Catalonian educator Antoni Benaiges (a stellar Enric Auquer, Too Many Chefs) is appointed as the new schoolmaster of a small, isolated village in the province of Burgos. With an innovative approach, he soon wins over his reluctant pupils, a group between the ages of six and twelve who are used to being instructed by the strict local priest. Inspiring his young charges to hope and to broaden their horizons, Antoni even promises to take them the ocean for the first time… Meanwhile, 75 years later, Ariadna (Laia Costa, Lullaby, Victoria) is attempting to uncover what happened to her great grandfather - a man who disappeared during the war - leading her to discover the emotional story behind Antoni’s promise. A major word of mouth hit at the Spanish box office in early 2024, Font’s film is an eloquent and deeply moving tale of the power of education and the importance of never letting the lessons of history be forgotten.