The Teacher (2023 film)

The Teacher (الأستاذ) is a 2023 drama film by British-Palestinian filmmaker Farah Nabulsi. It premiered at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2023.

Set in present-day Palestine, Nabulsi described the film as a "human drama set in a political landscape" and "a story about characters that represent a severely marginalised and underrepresented people," stating that she "needed to make this film to cope with the injustice I've witnessed."

Plot
Basem is a Palestinian schoolteacher who finds himself caught between his commitment to political resistance and his role as a father figure to one of his students, Adam.

Cast

 * Saleh Bakri as Basem El Saleh
 * Imogen Poots as Lisa
 * Muhammad Abed Elrahman as Adam
 * Stanley Townsend as Simon Cohen
 * Muayyad Abd Elsamad
 * Andrea Irvine
 * Nabil Al Raee
 * Mahmood Bakri
 * Paul Herzberg

Production
The film was shot entirely in Palestine, particularly in Nablus, over three months. Regarding the choice to film in Palestine, director Farah Nabulsi felt a responsibility to do so, saying "I did contemplate the path of least resistance, like doing it in Jordan or a different location. But I thought it a privilege to be able to actually enter Palestine and make a film in Palestine, which many Palestinian filmmakers can't." In an interview with Deadline, she described "the emotional and mental toll" of leading a team whilst "trying to do justice to a reality that's unfolding around you." She cited Israeli settlers torching olive trees in a Palestinian village nearby while filming, as well as a military raid on Nablus which occurred just a few kilometres from where the crew had been shooting a few hours earlier.

Release
The film premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2023. Variety released an exclusive clip from the film two days before its premiere, on 7 September.

Critical response
Critics praised The Teacher for its exploration of life in occupied Palestine, as well as the performances of Saleh Bakri, Imogen Poots and Muhammad Abed Elrahman.

Vogue 's Taylor Antrim hailed the film as an "absorbing first feature by British-Palestinian director Farah Nabulsi" and was "moved and gripped by the film’s exploration of Palestinian anger and grief," including it as one of his "10 Movies From the Toronto Film Festival to Get Excited About."

Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter described the film as "riveting," "eye-opening," and "an intimate exploration of life in occupied Palestine," praising the actors for "three compelling performances, led by the striking and understated intensity of Saleh Bakri."

Screen Daily's Tim Grierson commended Nabulsi for "[tackling] a thorny issue with complexity, crafting a drama with several tendrils reaching out in all different directions, illustrating how the Israeli/Palestinian dispute impacts so many in the region."

Alex Ritman of The Hollywood Reporter called the film a "Toronto hidden gem" and Screen Daily listed The Teacher as one of the “20 stand-out titles from Toronto 2023."

Despite acknowledging the "necessary counterbalance" the film provided "in a climate where Palestinian perspectives on the conflict are given limited opportunity for exposure," IndieWire criticised the film for focusing too much on Basem and Lisa's relationship, as this gave "short shrift to dynamics that carry much more necessity and weight."

Accolades
The Teacher was longlisted for the British Independent Film Awards 2023 in three categories: Best Debut Director, Best Debut Screenwriter and Breakthrough Producer. At the Red Sea International Film Festival in December 2023, the film received the Jury Award and Saleh Bakri won the Best Actor Award.

The film won several audience awards from various international film festivals, including at San Francisco International Film Festival, Filmfest DC (also known as Washington DC International Film Festival), Brooklyn Film Festival, Kosmorama and Cyprus Film Days.

Saleh Bakri's performance in The Teacher earned him several Best Actor awards, including at Belgrade Film Festival, and also from the 8th Critics Awards for Arab Films; where The Teacher was nominated in four categories: Best Film, Best Actor, Best Cinematography and Best Music.