English Subs – The Teacher Who Promised the Sea

In 1935, Antoni Benaiges (Enric Auquer) is appointed as a teacher in a small, remote village in Burgos, Spain. His class consists of a group of boys and girls aged six to twelve, for whom education had been strict and traditional until then. But Benaiges does things differently. He brings a printing press and has them write about their dreams and ambitions. He also makes a special promise: one day he will take them to see the sea – a world they have never seen before.

Seventy-five years later, Ariadna (Laia Costa), the granddaughter of one of his students, discovers the moving and forgotten story behind that promise. Her search for the remains of her great-grandfather, one of the many who ‘disappeared’ during the Spanish Civil War, takes her to a mass grave in Burgos. There she unravels the fate of Benaiges, whose ideals and innovative teaching methods made him a target.

The Teacher Who Promised the Sea is a powerful historical drama based on the true story of Antoni Benaiges (1903-1936) and the novel El maestro que prometió el mar by Francesc Escribano. In addition to being the author of the book, Escribano is also associated with the film as a producer. Together with director Patricia Font, he brings a compelling film about the pain that is still palpable in Spanish society, but also a tribute to a man who believed in the future of his students and a promise that, despite everything, lives on.

Every Tuesday and Saturday you can enjoy one of the newest films with English subtitles.