The Teacher

The struggles of a Palestinian schoolteacher and an American couple fighting for their son propel Farah Nabulsi’s gripping feature debut. 

Devastated by loss, Basem El-Saleh (Saleh Bakri) tries to help two of his students after their home is destroyed without warning, growing closer to a British volunteer (Imogen Poots) in the process. Meanwhile, an American diplomat and his wife beg for the return of their son, held hostage by a Palestinian resistance group. Frustrated by a lack of progress, their search moves with full force into Basem’s neighbourhood.

Set and shot – with difficulty – in occupied territory, The Teacher is the feature debut of Oscar-nominated, BAFTA-winning British-Palestinian filmmaker Farah Nabulsi. Inspired by true events and led by a commanding and wounded performance from Bakri, it’s a passionate, sensitive and eye-opening drama about a region currently in desperate crisis.