(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Joelyn Baluyut |The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: The film“The Teacher,” backed by the Doha film Institute (DFI) and directed by Farah Nabulsi, has garnered recognition at the Cannes Film Festival. Lead actor Saleh Bakri won the Best actor award at the Palme des Planges at the Marché du Film. This accolade comes shortly after Bakri's win for Best Actor at the Malmo Arab Film Festival in Sweden.
Bakri's portrayal of Basem El Saleh, a Palestinian school teacher struggling with the loss of his son, has earned widespread acclaim.
The film also received nominations in four categories at the said festival, including Best Film, Best Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Music, as announced by Nabulsi on her Instagram page.“Over 200 film critics from more than 70 countries participated in the festival's Critics Awards for Arab Film,” she said.
“The Teacher” tells the story of Basem, who looks after two fatherless brothers, Adam and Yacoub, following his son's death. Lisa, a new school volunteer, begins to bring new hope into Basem's life as she takes an interest in the boys. Meanwhile, Israeli intelligence presents a proof-of-life video of a captured Israeli soldier to the soldier's American parents, Simon and Rachel Cohen. Simon clashes with Director Liberman, who is responsible for finding his son, as a proposed exchange for over a thousand Palestinian prisoners reveals competing objectives.
After Yacoub is killed by a settler, Basem and Lisa become more invested in Adam's wellbeing. However, when Adam learns that Basem is involved in concealing the soldier's whereabouts, he seeks revenge. Basem refuses to help, leading Adam to take matters into his own hands. As Simon becomes desperate, and Lisa starts to uncover Basem's hidden life, Basem must navigate his conflicting motives, his growing affection for Lisa, and his commitment to protect Adam.
“The Teacher” had its world premiere last year at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Nabulsi described the film as“an intense personal journey to tell a story that matters, about people suffering a deliberate ongoing cruel reality at a time when it couldn't be more pertinent.” She highlighted the immense effort and collaboration required to bring the film to fruition over four years.
In addition to its success at Cannes,“The Teacher” has won several other awards this year alone, including the Audience Award at the 67th San Francisco International Film Festival, Washington, DC International Film Festival, Cyprus Film Days International Festival, and Oslo Arab Film Days.
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