The Teacher Who Promised the Sea
Spanish box office hit about an idealistic teacher whose progressive teaching methods change the lives of a group of schoolchildren on the eve of the Spanish Civil War, but make him a target of the local authorities.
General Franco’s dictatorship (1939-1975) left deep scars in Spain. Historians estimate that the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) preceding Franco’s dictatorship claimed the lives of some 114,000 people. Mass graves are still being discovered and there are numerous Spanish families whose family histories have been shattered by murdered and disappeared relatives.
The Teacher Who Promised The Sea traces two stories, separated by 75 years. In 2010, Ariadna sets out for the small, isolated village of Burgos, Spain, to grant her grandfather his dying wish: to locate the body of his father who disappeared during the outset of the Spanish Civil War. There, she stumbles upon the story of Antoni Benaiges, who was hired as a teacher in Burgos in 1935. Benaiges established an intense relationship with his students, a group of young boys and girls between the ages of six and twelve, to whom he made a promise: to take them to see the sea for the first time in their lives. Ariadna will discover the wonderful story hidden behind a promise that was never fulfilled.
Based on the incredible true story of Antoni Benaiges, a Catalan teacher who brought progressive teaching methods from France to a rural village in Spain, this emotional drama shines a light on the power of education and historical memory. The film received five Goya Award nominations (the most important film awards in Spain).
The screening on Sunday 15 June at 14:00 can be booked as a Father's Day High Beer arrangement.