Philippe Falardeau – Canada – 2011

Everything changes for the young students at a Montréal public school when their teacher hangs herself in the classroom. Bachir Lazhar, a 55-year-old Algerian immigrant in need of a job reads about the suicide and presents himself to the stiff-backed principal as a substitute. Bachir, who says he taught grade school in Algiers for 19 years before settling in Quebec, seems to be a godsend. Polite, formal and soft-spoken, he takes over a class whose students are traumatised and easily wins their confidence and affection.

Monsieur Lazar has won numerous prices on film festivals worldwide and was shortlisted as the Canadian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards in 2012. 

With: Mohamed Fellag, Sophie Nélisse, Émilien Néron
Duration: 94 minutes
Language: French (English subtitles)