Film on Spanish teacher Antoni Benaiges who promised students the sea

The film 'Il maestro che promise il mare' (The Teacher Who Promised the Sea), directed by Patricia Font, will be released in Italian cinemas on September 19 via Officine UBU. Based on the book 'El maestro que prometió el mar' by Francesc Escribano, it tells the true story of Antoni Benaiges (1903–1936), a teacher who followed the pedagogical methods of French educator Célestin Freinet (1896–1966). Benaiges began teaching in 1931 in Madrid and was influenced by his training at the Escuela Superior para Niños in Vilanova i la Geltrú (Barcelona province), where he met Patricio Redondo, a promoter of Freinet techniques in Catalonia. In June 1934, he was assigned to Bañuelos de Bureba in Burgos province. In 1935, Benaiges accepted a post in a small, isolated village in Burgos, where he bonded with his students aged six to twelve and promised to take them to see the sea. His innovative teaching methods faced opposition from some parents, the clergy, and the rising Francoist regime. The film interweaves Benaiges' story with that of Arianna (a fictional character in 2010), the granddaughter of one of his students, who reconstructs the hidden history through memories. Director Patricia Font stated the film addresses historical memory and transgenerational trauma. Margherita Bordino wrote the article for Artribune.