“This is a film about parental love, the pursuit of justice and the inevitability of resistance when no other path to freedom, dignity and justice exists,” says Farah Nabulsi (BSc Investment and Insurance, 1996), the Oscar-nominated and BAFTA award-winning Palestinian British filmmaker who has made her directorial fiction feature-length film debut with The Teacher.
Farah Nabulsi’s directorial feature-length film debut, The Teacher, starring Saleh Bakri and Imogen Poots, has garnered over 18 International Awards. Farah hopes the film can offer a deeper, more human context to audiences, humanize the Palestinian experience, and shed light on the complexities of living under occupation.
“I wanted to explore the personal relationships and inner conflicts of the characters, rather than reducing them to nationalistic or ideological labels,” Farah says.
“It’s a deeply human story that speaks to my identity as a Palestinian and as a human being, and I felt compelled and passionate about bringing it to life on screen.”
The film, which premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, follows a Palestinian school teacher struggling to reconcile his risky commitment to political resistance with his emotional support for one of his students and the chance of a new relationship with a volunteer worker.
“As someone with Palestinian heritage, I have travelled to Palestine many times and drew inspiration from my conversations with Palestinians who have experienced firsthand some of the absurd and cruel things that take place in the film, such as home demolitions, Palestinian children being processed through Israeli military detention, and settler vandalism and violence. Their stories of resilience and determination in the face of overwhelming adversity are truly inspiring, and I definitely wanted to capture some of that spirit in The Teacher.”
Farah’s Palestinian parents arrived in the UK in the 1970’s and Farah was born and raised in London. In 1996, she completed a BSc in Investment and Insurance at what is now Bayes Business School and had a successful corporate career before she entered the film industry in 2016 as a writer and producer of short fiction films. It was a trip to Palestine that made her realise she needed to change her career path. When we spoke to Farah about her Oscar-nominated and Bafta- winning short film, The Present in 2022, she told us
“Film is one of the most powerful modes of meaningful human communication. Film can tear down stereotypes and overcome misperceptions and misconceptions. I believe it is also one of the few tools left for Palestinians to tell their truth, their narrative to the outside world and make those human rights violations known”.
The Teacher opened to audiences just days after the Hamas attack on Israel, which has seen the film being received in the context of the Israel-Gaza war.
“Initially, the film was met with some hesitation, due to sensitivities following October 7th, 2023,” Farah says. “However, as the reality on the ground has become increasingly dire, and the stark reality of the painful lived Palestinian experience has started to become more familiar to audiences, I believe the film has taken on a new level of urgency and importance.”
Farah says she’s been heartened by the way audiences have connected with the film.
“The film has garnered over 18 International Awards, with many being Audience Awards – which is a wonderful testament to the impact it is having on audiences around the world.”
Farah always wanted to take the audience on an emotional journey and leave them contemplating the choices and decisions the characters make and the cruel reality in which they are forced to make them.
“However, while that intention remains,” Farah says. “Given the ongoing horror and hell on earth being rained down on the Palestinians of Gaza and the increased Israel militarization and illegal settler violence in the West Bank over these past 15 months, I really hope the film offers a deeper, more human context to audiences – a context that is so important but seems to be missing in the discourse on Palestine in mainstream media. To humanize the Palestinian experience and shed light on the complexities of living under occupation feels especially important given the severe dehumanisation that has allowed this genocide to take place and continue.”
The Teacher was filmed in the West Bank of Palestine and Farah recalls it as an intense experience. On top of the usual pressures of independent filmmaking, like a tight budget and time constraints, they faced some unique challenges while filming.
“We had to contend with random flying checkpoints being set up by the Israeli military, roads being closed, and the ever-present threat of violence and intimidation from settlers,” Farah describes.
“These obstacles not only caused delays and disruptions to our filming schedule, but also created a sense of tension and unease among the cast and crew.”
Despite being highly aware of the realities of life in the West Bank, Farah also felt the mental and emotional toll of the environment they were working in.
“Too often, we were witnessing events unfolding in real-time that were eerily similar to the scenes we were filming,” Farah says. “One morning on the way to work, I found a couple and their six young children standing on the side of the road in front of the rubble of their freshly demolished home, which is again something portrayed in the film.”
Farah felt a deep pressure to portray this reality justly, albeit in a fictional film, and despite the challenges and emotional strain, she is highly appreciative that she was able to film The Teacher in the West Bank.
“It was a privilege to be able to bring this story to life in the very place where it is set and bear witness to the incredible strength and dignity of the Palestinian people,” she says. “And compared to my last film The Present, filming The Teacher was a true endurance test, but one that I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to undertake and offer the world at this crucial juncture in the discourse.”
A big thank you to Farah Nabulsi for talking to us about her latest film The Teacher. Find out more about the film and how to watch it.