British South Asian drama A Teacher’s Gift has been released for UK theatrical distribution via Peccadillo Pictures, an independent distributor renowned for its LGBTQ+ and world cinema productions.
The deal confirms the film’s BIFA status and puts it in contention for the British Independent Film Awards.
Eric Ollerenshaw is on board as producer and the film, shot in the Midlands, is a co-production with Wolverhampton company New Lion Films, giving the project traction beyond London. Atul Ribeiro (“Star”) directs from a script he co-wrote with Rajdeep Chaudhry and Will D. Parry.
The film is backed by India’s National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and British-South African entrepreneur Richard Murray. The cast includes Rajdeep Choudhury (“The Vision”), Anthony Calf (“The Madness of King George”), Anjali Patil (“Newton”), Paula Lobo Antunes, Dhruv Sehgal, Virgilio Castelo and Varun Buddhadev.
Set in London and India, the story centers on Rohan, an ambitious Hindi teacher caught between family expectations and his own desires. He and an older, cultured Englishman bond over their shared passion for books and cricket, and their relationship prompts both men to examine who they are across age, culture, and convention. The film explores identity, belonging and connection across generations within the UK’s South Asian community.
A Teacher’s Gift has already set respectable festive records ahead of its release in the UK. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in Lisbon and subsequently screened at the IRIS LGBTQ+ Film Festival, where it was nominated for Best Feature Film and received a Special Mention for Best Feature Film at the BIFA-eligible Unlimited Views Film Festival. The film subsequently had its Asian premiere at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) and its Latin American premiere at the Guadalajara International Film Festival, where it competed for the Premio Maguey Award.
Peccadillo Pictures’ UK theatrical release will bring The Teacher’s Gift to cinemas across the country.
Tom Abell, founder of Peccadillo Pictures, said: “The Teacher’s Gift is exactly the kind of nuanced, globally-focused British cinema we are passionate about bringing to our audiences. Atul Ribeiro, Will D. Parry and Rajdeep Chaudhry have crafted a tender, quiet, radical story that spans generations, continents and cultures, but never loses sight of its profound core. Qualifying as a serious contender.”
Ollerenshaw said working with Peccadillo Pictures to secure a UK theatrical release marked another remarkable step for British independent cinema, adding: “Not only does this release qualify us for BIFA, it also ensures that the film and its story can be experienced on the big screen, as its themes of culture, care and connection truly belong on the big screen.”
“The Teacher’s Gift” will be released in the UK in mid-November.