Monsieur Lazhar

Writer/director Philippe Falardeau’s poignant social drama MONSIEUR LAZHAR is an Oscar nominee in the Best Foreign Language Film category. The film played at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and won the Audience Award at the 2011 Locarno Film Festival and the Best Canadian Feature Film Award at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. The story of an Algerian immigrant substitute teacher who brings emotional stability to a Montreal middle school class shaken by the death of their well-liked teacher, MONSIEUR LAZHAR was produced by the same company that made one of last year’s Oscar nominees, INCENDIES.

After learning of the death of an elementary school teacher, Bachir Lazhar (Fellag), a 55-year-old Algerian immigrant, goes to the school to offer his services as a substitute teacher. Quickly hired to replace the deceased, he finds himself thrown into an establishment in crisis, while going through his own personal tragedy. The film features exquisite performances by Fellag and the child actors who play Bachir Lazhar’s young students coping with grief and learning to heal.

Recently honored as one of Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch, award-winning filmmaker Philippe Falardeau’s previous works - including CONGORAMA and IT’S NOT ME, I SWEAR! - have screened at festivals around the world including Cannes, Toronto, New Directors/New Films, Berlin and Locarno. Falardeau’s fourth feature film, MONSIEUR LAZHAR is an adaptation of the play “Bashir Lazhar” by Montreal playwright Évelyne de la Chenelière.

Best known in France for his stand up comedy, Fellag was born and raised in Algeria and worked extensively in theater until 1995 when he moved to Paris during the Algerian Civil War. In addition to his acting career, Fellag has written three short story collections and two novels.

“This nearly perfect gem begins as a tiny slice of life, but sneaks up on you and packs a wallop by the time it reaches its conclusion…The film achieves scalding power.” -Stephen Farber, The Hollywood Reporter

“Falardeauʼs perceptive work grapples with issues of racial conflict and education as a single, unified whole.”
-Eric Kohn, IndieWIRE