Der Lehrer, der uns das Meer versprach

In the organizer's words:

In 1935, Antoni Benaiges (Enric Auquer) becomes a teacher in a small village near Burgos. Instead of relying on beatings and iron discipline, he encourages his pupils to be children, to learn through play and to form a community - and he makes them a promise: He will take them to the sea for the first time in their lives. 75 years later, Ariadna (Laia Costa), a great-granddaughter of one of these pupils, comes across the teacher's story. This marks the beginning of a detective-like search for traces of her buried family history. It is a story that warms the heart and yet ends tragically. After a military coup in 1936, a three-year civil war begins, at the end of which the Franco dictatorship, which lasted until 1975, prevails. Progressive and liberal ideas are washed away in a sea of blood. Even the film's title resonates with melancholy; the teacher's promise remains a promise that he can no longer keep. And it's not his fault.

Spain 2023, Director: Patricia Font, Actors: Enric Auquer, Laia Costa, Luisa Gavasa, 12+, 105 mins