A Teacher's Gift lands UK cinema release via Peccadillo
Peccadillo Pictures has taken UK theatrical rights to A Teacher's Gift, with a cinema opening planned for mid-November, as reported by Variety. The deal confirms BIFA-qualifying status for the film. That means it is eligible for consideration at the British Independent Film Awards, where it is now in contention.
The story follows Rohan, an ambitious Hindi teacher, and unfolds across London and India. It tracks his working life and family ties as he moves between the two countries. The film was directed by Artur Ribeiro from a script he co-wrote with Rajdeep Choudhury and Will D. Parry.
Eric Ollerenshaw produces the feature. It was shot in the Midlands. Wolverhampton company New Lion Films served as co-producer, with backing from India's National Film Development Corporation and British-South African entrepreneur Richard Murray.
The cast is led by Choudhury. He is joined by Anthony Calf, Anjali Patil, Paula Lobo Antunes, Dhruv Sehgal, Virgilio Castelo and Varun Buddhadev. Peccadillo Pictures was founded by Tom Abell.
The film started its public run at Tribeca Festival Lisboa, where it premiered. It then played the Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival and earned a nomination for best feature there. That nomination was followed by a special mention for best feature film at the Unrestricted View Film Festival, which is itself a BIFA-qualifying event.
The festival journey continued abroad. The film had its Asian premiere at the 56th International Film Festival of India. It then had its Latin American premiere at the Guadalajara International Film Festival, where it competed for the Premio Maguey.
For audiences, this means a short wait until a home release. A run that has already crossed Europe, Asia and Latin America now leads to cinemas in Britain. The mid-November opening will put tickets on general sale for the first time in the UK.
