The teacher who promised the sea - Cinema M on tour

With inclusive and interactive lessons, based on the students' world and with their own printing press as a central instrument, the French teacher Célestin Freinet started a revolution in education in the early 1920s. His ideas quickly found an audience in other countries, including with Antoni Benaiges in Spain. Deze Catalaanse teacher taught in 1935 at the village school of the Northern Spanish mountain village Bañuelos de Bureba. The children in his class were enthusiastic about his unusual approach, but his progressive ideas—he also wrote for a left-wing newspaper—did not go down well with everyone. Especially not when the Civil War was decided in favor of Francisco Franco. When someone asks during a practical lesson in the woods where the stream flows, the sea is mentioned. Because none of the children have ever seen it, Benaiges encourages them to write down what they know about it in a booklet that they print themselves. Its title is just as beautiful as that of the film: The Sea—by children who have never seen it. Serving as a frame story for the portrait of the teacher is Ariadna's search in 2010 for her missing great-grandfather, who was imprisoned with Benaiges. His son, her grandfather, was in Benaiges' class as a child. Ariadna's search leads to one of the mass graves scattered across Spain. The film is based on a 2013 book of the same name about this true history. Beautiful acting by Enric Auquer, who plays Antonio. His sympathetic, open gaze and infectious enthusiasm continue to captivate you. Regisseur Patricia Font made a warm-hearted and generous story about the importance of memory and knowledge transfer. Spain 2023 Director: Patricia Font Cast: Enric Auquer, Laia Costa, Ramón Agirre, Gael Aparicio, Alba Hermoso,Nicolás Calvo… Genre : drama Duration: 1 hour 45 min. Spoken languages: Spanish and Catalan