1942. Occupied Norway. Teachers must join the Nazi Teachers’ League and teach Nazi ideas in their classrooms. 8,000 of them write protest letters. They are threatened with salary withdrawal and the sack. Still they refuse. In a desperate attempt to break them, the Nazi government arrests 1000 male teachers and sends them to prison camps, 300 miles above the Arctic Circle. The education system is in chaos and now the battle begins.
Jon Seal’s documentary weaves together archive footage, first-hand testimony and the skillful animation of Herlov Åmland’s poignant drawings to tell this gripping story to an international audience for the first time. The Teachers’ Protest is a sad, tender and uplifting documentary exploring a completely different kind of war story – an inspiring tale of passive resistance, where the heroes fight without weapons and still win.
Audience reaction
'A brilliant film,' David Edwards, General Secretary, Education International
'It’s a gift to the teaching profession and the norwegian people,' Steffen Handal, Leader Norwegian teachers union
‘A perfect and moving mix of storytelling, real life and drama.’
‘A wonderful portrayal of a story hardly anybody knows about.’
‘It was gripping from beginning to end. You could hear a pin drop.’
‘The animation absolutely made the film.’