# The Teacher Who Promised the Sea

The Teacher Who Promised the Sea (Spanish: El maestro que prometió el mar) is a 2023 Spanish historical drama film directed by Patricia Font [es] from a screenplay by Albert Val, based on the book by Francesc Escribano. It stars Enric Auquer and Laia Costa alongside Luisa Gavasa.

## Plot

The plot tracks the story of Catalan teacher Antoni Benaiges, destined in 1935 to a small village in the province of Burgos (introducing innovative and inspiring teaching methods from France among the children before being murdered by Falangists during the Civil War), as well as the present-day story of Ariadna, searching for her great-grandfather, who disappeared during the War.

## Cast

* Enric Auquer as Antoni Benaiges [es]
* Laia Costa as Ariadna
* Luisa Gavasa as Charo
* Gael Aparicio as Carlos
* Alba Hermoso as Josefina
* Nicolás Calvo as Emilio (child)
* Milo Taboada as Primitivo
* Ramon Agirre [eu] as Emilio (old)

## Production

Written by Albert Val, the screenplay is an adaptation of the book by Francesc Escribano. The film is a Minoria Absoluta, Lastor Media, Filmax, and Mestres Films AIE production with the participation of RTVE and TV3 and backing from ICAA and ICEC. Shooting locations included Mura and Briviesca.

## Release

The film had its world premiere at the 68th Valladolid International Film Festival on 27 October 2023. Distributed by Filmax, it was released theatrically in Spain on 10 November 2023. It opened in only 83 screens, but the satisfactory box office performance (with a positive weekly change in the gross reportedly owing to the word of mouth) led to an increase in the number of screens up to 124. Distributed by Palace Films, it opened in Australian theatres on 26 July 2024 in 22 screens, eventually grossing $436,744. It was released theatrically in Italy on 19 September 2024 in 84 screens, likewise coming to gross €551,066.

## Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 5 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10.
Ekaitz Ortega of HobbyConsolas rated the film with 73 points ('good') highlighting how it "has its own identity, it is not complacent and the two [lead] actors standing out", as the best things about it.
Enid Román Almansa of Cinemanía rated the film 4½ out of 5 stars underscoring "a very sad and terrible story, a very beautiful film".
Jason Blake of Limelight rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, deeming it to be "a powerful reminder that the scars of Spain's 20th century history are everywhere".

## Accolades

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| 2024 | 11th Feroz Awards | Best Actor in a Film | Enric Auquer | Nominated |
| 2024 | 11th Feroz Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Film | Luisa Gavasa | Nominated |
| 2024 | 16th Gaudí Awards | Best Non-Catalan Language Film | Best Non-Catalan Language Film | Nominated |
| 2024 | 16th Gaudí Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay | Albert Val | Nominated |
| 2024 | 16th Gaudí Awards | Best Actor | Enric Auquer | Nominated |
| 2024 | 16th Gaudí Awards | Best Art Direction | Josep Rosell | Nominated |
| 2024 | 16th Gaudí Awards | Best Costume Design | Maria Armengol | Nominated |
| 2024 | 16th Gaudí Awards | Best Makeup and Hairstyles | Patricia Reyes | Nominated |
| 2024 | 38th Goya Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay | Albert Val | Nominated |
| 2024 | 38th Goya Awards | Best Actor | Enric Auquer | Nominated |
| 2024 | 38th Goya Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Luisa Gavasa | Nominated |
| 2024 | 38th Goya Awards | Best Original Score | Natasha Arizu | Nominated |
| 2024 | 38th Goya Awards | Best Costume Design | Maria Armengol | Nominated |