There are inevitable comparisons between Teacher Irena and the 2011 Oscar-winning American short documentary Strangers No More. Both explore Israeli schools in rundown areas and whose pupils are from predominantly refugee or new immigrant backgrounds.
Teacher Irena, however, focuses on one teacher.
A recently widowed single parent, Irena is herself a new immigrant, having moved with her husband from the Ukraine and settled in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Katamonim.
His sudden death has left Irena alone with a young son and neither family nor friends for support.
At school
Living in the same catchment area as the school, she knows and shares many of its problems – increasing unemployment, poor housing conditions, large families, refugees (mainly from East Africa) disenfranchised from local society. In spite of their age, some of her pupils work to support their families.
Caring but tough, Irena, however, will brook no “tardiness” or excuses from parents or pupils alike – respect in her classroom is the order of the day. She gives her all – often too exhausted at the end of the day to entertain 7 year-old son Tal – but is determined to provide an education for the children in her care.
Her single-mindedness seemingly isolates Irena from colleagues and puts her in conflict with parents, none volunteering to support her on the class committee.
Yet Irena achieves results.
She may not be popular outside the classroom, but her children respond, reaching the levels expected of them in spite of their home environment – even if this means teacher and pupil staying after school to improve reading skills.
Awards
First time director Itamar Chen’s film was selected to open the Docaviv International Documentary Film Festival in Tel Aviv and is winner of not only the best editing prize at the festival, but also that of the Grand Prize at the Parnu Film Festival in Estonia.
As the jurors of the film festivals recognised, ultimately Teacher Irena is a film about making a difference. It shows the human side of education and the impact a single person can have. Irena encourages love, compassion and respect, refusing to give up in spite of the effect it has on her own well-being.
Neither optimistic nor pessimistic, Teacher Irena is a slice of life in an ordinary environment featuring a more than ordinary person.
Teacher Irena
- Directed by Itamar Chen
- Scripted by Itamar Chen, Naomi Levari (Shmuel B, Draft – both shorts)
- Produced by Saar Yogev (The Arbitrator – TV, Good Tidings – TV), Naomi Levari (Sabbath Entertainment – short, Life Isn’t Everything – TV)
Keith Lawrence - Published writer of articles in magazines, newspapers and websites, predominantly on culture, alongside ghostwriter/editor/copywriter.
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