The Country Teacher

35mm – colour – running time:116 min – Dolby Digital

production:

A German-Czech-French Co-production between
PALLAS FILM,NEGATIV FILM PRODUCTIONS and WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS

supported by:
MDM-Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Czech Film Fund, Eurimages, MEDIA and i2i Audivisuel

World sales: THE WILD BUNCH

Author: Bohdan Sláma

Director: Bohdan Sláma

Producers: Thanassis Karathanos, Karl Baumgartner,Pavel Strnad,Petr Oukropec und Pascal Caucheteux

A gifted and well-qualified young teacher takes a job teaching natural sciences at a grammar school in the country. Here he makes the acquaintance of a woman and her troubled 17-year old son. The teacher has no romantic interest in the woman but they quickly form a strong friendship, each recognizing the other’s uncertainties, hopes… a longing for love.

When the teacher’s ex-boyfriend comes to visit from the city, he quickly realizes that nobody in the village knows that the teacher is gay.

And that the teacher harbors a secret affection for the teenage boy. His jealous actions set in motion a series of events that will test the inner strength and compassion of the teacher, the woman and her son to breaking point.

Teacher: Pavel Liska

Marie: Zuzana Bydzovská

Boy: Ladislav Sedivý

Boyfriend: Marek Daniel

Beruska: Tereza Vorísková

Headmaster: Cyril Drozda

Headmaster’s Wife: Marie Ludvíková

Mother: Zuzana Kronerová

Father: Miroslav Krobot

Line Producer: Pavel Cechák

DOP: Divis Marek

Editor: Jan Danhel

Sound: Michal Micek

Sound-Mixer: Stephan Konken, Jan Cenek

Costumes: Zuzana Krejzková

Set-Design: Vaclav Novak

65th Venice International Film Festival 2008

Toronto IFF 2008

Reykjavik IFF 2008
Queer Cinema Award

Festival du Nouveau Cinéma de Montréal 2008, Canada

Eurasia Film Festival 2008, Turkey

Cottbus IFF 2008
Audience Award

Thessaloniki International Film Festival 2008, Greece

20th Stockholm International Film Festival 2008, Sweden

12th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2008, Estonia

38th edition International Film Festival Rotterdam 2009, Netherlands