‘The Teacher’ Director Farah Nabulsi Explains Why Shooting in Palestine Was Crucial
variety.comSharareh Drury How does one measure the worth of one’s life? Does one life have more value than another? These complicated questions are at the center of British-Palestinian writer-director Farah Nabulsi’s feature debut, “The Teacher,” which premieres in TIFF’s Discovery section.
The film follows Palestinian schoolteacher Basem (Saleh Bakri), who acts as a father figure to two of his students, Yacoub (Mahmoud Bakri) and Adam (Muhammad Abed El Rahman), amidst turmoil in the West Bank.
Upon meeting British volunteer worker Lisa (Imogen Poots), Basem struggles to reconcile his risky commitment to political resistance and his emotional support for Yacoub and Adam with the chance of a new romantic relationship.
The film is partially inspired by the story of Gilad Shalit, which Nabulsi describes was “shocking in the sense of the imbalance in value for human life.” Shalit was a former Israeli soldier held captive for over five years by Palestinian militants, and was released as part of a historic prisoner exchange deal for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners.
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