The film is based on the true story of a school teacher, Antoni Benaiges, who disappeared during the Spanish Civil War.
Filming has finished of El maestro que prometió el mar, a film directed by Patricia Font (winner of the Goya for Best Short Film for Un café para llevar), which stars Enric Auquer (winner of the Goya for Best New Actor for Quien a hierro mata; Vida perfecta) and Laia Costa (winner of the Best Actress Award at the Malaga Festival for Cinco Lobitos and winner of the Lola Award for Best Leading Actress for Victoria).
The cast is completed by, amongst others, Luisa Gavasa (winner of the Goya for Best Supporting Actress for La Novia; Incierta Gloria), Ramón Agirre (La casa de papel; Handia), Milo Taboada (La isla de las mentiras; Fariña) and the young arrivals Nicolás Calvo, Alba Hermoso and Gael Aparício.
The film was shot in various locations in the province of Barcelona and in Briviesca (Burgos) and is based on the book of the same name by Francesc Escribano, adapted for the big screen by Albert Val.
El maestro que prometió el mar focuses on the life of Antoni Benaiges (Enric Auquer), a teacher from Mont-Roig del Camp (Tarragona) who in 1935 was assigned to a state school in Bañuelos de Bureba, a small town in the province of Burgos. Gradually, thanks to a teaching method that was both pioneering and revolutionary for the time, he began to bring about a transformation, not only in the lives of his pupils, but also in the village, something that was not to everyone’s liking.
To tell the story of Antoni Benaiges, the film interweaves past and present, and the teacher’s story is revealed through Ariadna (Laia Costa), a woman who is looking for her great-grandfather who disappeared during the Civil War.
In the words of Patrícia Font: “There are two stories that interact in this film: what happened in the past is echoed in the present in the form of an open wound that crosses generations. We talk about the importance of preserving the memory of the people who disappeared, but we also highlight the living relatives who continue their search”.
The technical team includes David Valldepérez, director of photography (Donde caben dos; El desorden que dejas; Citas), Josep Rosell, art director (winner of the Goya for best art direction for El Orfanato), Dani Arregui, editor (Merlí: Sapere Aude; La vampira de Barcelona) and Natasha Arizu, composer, as well as other professionals.
Forensic archaeologist Francisco Echeverría, who was involved in the exhumation of the actual grave site at La Pedraja (Burgos), which is recreated in the film, also took part in the filming.
El maestro que prometió el mar was produced by Minoria Absoluta, Lastor Media, Filmax and Mestres Films AIE, in participation with RTVE, TV3, and with the support of ICAA and ICEC.
