The Country Teacher

  • a film by Bohdan Sláma
  • feature film
  • 116 min
  • 2008

A gifted young teacher takes a job teaching natural sciences at a rural grammar school, where he befriends a lonely widow and her troubled teenage son amid personal secrets and village tensions.

Info
  • Genre

    • Drama / Comedy
  • Countries of Production

    • Germany / Czech Republic / France
  • Language

    • German / Czech
  • World premiere

    • 19th September 2008 – San Sebastián IFF
  • German cinema release

    • 27th August 2009
  • a production by

    • Pallas Film, Negativ Film Productions, Why Not Productions
  • with the support of

    • MDM – Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Czech Film Fund, Eurimages, MEDIA, i2i Audivisuel
  • World Sales

    • The Wild Bunch
  • Distribution

    • Neue Visionen
Synopsis

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.

Cast
  • Teacher

    • Pavel Liska
  • Marie

    • Zuzana Bydzovská
  • Boy

    • Ladislav Sedivý
  • Friend

    • Marek Daniel
  • Beruska

    • Tereza Vorísková
  • School principal

    • Cyril Drozda
  • Wife of the School principal

    • Marie Ludvíková
  • Mother

    • Zuzana Kronerová
  • Father

    • Miroslav Krobot
Crew
  • Written by

    • Bohdan Sláma
  • Directed by

    • Bohdan Sláma
  • Producers

    • Thanassis Karathanos, Karl Baumgartner, Pavel Strnad, Petr Oukropec, Pascal Caucheteux
  • Director of photography

    • Divis Marek
  • Editor

    • Jan Danhel
  • Set design

    • Vaclav Novak
  • Sound

    • Michal Micek
  • Mix

    • Stephan Konken, Jan Cenek
  • Line Producer

    • Pavel Cechák
Festivals
  • 65th Venice IFF
  • Toronto IFF
  • Reykjavik IFF
  • Festival du Nouveau Cinéma de Montréal
  • Eurasia Film Festival
  • Cottbus IFF
  • Thessaloniki IFF
  • 20th Stockholm IFF
  • Tallinn Black Nights FF
  • IFF Rotterdam
Awards
  • Queer Cinema Award / Reykjavik IFF
  • Audience Award / Cottbus IFF
  • Best Actress (Zuzana Bydzovská) / Zcech Lion
  • Best Screenplay / Czech Lion
  • Best Actress (Zuzana Bydzovská) / Stockholm IFF
  • Best Cinematography (Divis Marek) / Stockholm IFF
  • Special Jury Award (Bohdan Sláma) / Milan Int. Lesbian and Gay FFF

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