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Chicago – We often go to the movies to suspend real life and explore what we think about doing but won’t or would do but can’t. Have you ever fallen for a much younger man or woman? Have you ever had a secret affair with someone at work? Have you ever obsessed over someone you shouldn’t?

Rating: 3.5/5.0

New filmmaker Hannah Fidell explores these burning questions in her feature debut “A Teacher” about an inappropriate student/teacher “relationship”. The film was an official selection at 2013’s SXSW and Sundance Film Festival. Hannah Fidell’s short 75-minute feature won SXSW’s Emergent Narrative Woman Director award. She has also been named one of the “25 new faces of independent film”.

Read Adam Fendelman’s full review of “A Teacher”.

I found her new film On Demand and decided to give it a chance to see if you should. “A Teacher” is...

A Teacher by Hannah Fidell is being released theatrically by Oscilloscope after its Sundance Institute's Next Weekend replay in Los Angeles and other cities in August. We on the jury of U.S. In Progress at the Champs Elysees Film Festival 2012 awarded it the top prize which enabled its post-production to be funded and which enabled it to be seen by Europa Distribution's indie distributors from all over Europe. We are very proud of this film and the coverage it is garnering is gratifying. Congratulations Hannah!!

Go Back To School With "A Teacher"!

Trailer Now Available

Just as students head back to school this fall, Hannah Fidell’s controversial and salacious film "A Teacher" opens theatrically and on video-on-demand September 6th

"Hard to look away from this head-on exploration of a woman escaping the demands of adult life by surrendering to inappropriate passion."

- David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

"A taut, closely-observed psychological tale."

- Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times

Part psychological thriller and part provocative character study, A Teacher explores the unraveling of a young high school teacher, Diana (Lindsay Burdge), after she begins an affair with one of her teenage students, Eric (Will Brittain). What starts as a seemingly innocent fling becomes increasingly complex as the beautiful and confident Diana gets fully consumed by her emotions, crossing boundaries and acting out in progressively startling ways. Lindsay Burdge delivers a deeply compelling and seamlessly naturalistic performance that brings us into the mind of an adult driven to taboo against her better judgment.

A Teacher made its world premiere at The Sundance Film Festival in 2013 and will be released theatrically and on-demand this September by Oscilloscope Laboratories.

Meet The Teacher:

Lindsay Burdge / Diana Watts

Lindsay Burdge is one of the hottest young actresses in indie cinema today. For A Teacher, Lindsay has received much critical praise and was highlighted by Variety, IndieWire, Verge among other publications as one of the actresses to watch at Sundance 2013. The role of Diana in A Teacher was written and developed specifically for Lindsay by Hannah Fidell.

Lindsay has also appeared in Joe Swanberg's All The Light In The Sky, opposite Ti West, which played at AFI Fest last year. She also appeared in Ben Dickinson's First Winter, which played at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. Lindsay also worked on the other side of the camera as both a producer and casting director on Adam Leons’ Gimme The Loot.

Lindsay’s upcoming projects include Up The River (director: Ben Greenblatt), Some Beast (director: Cameron Bruce Nelson), Anguish (director: Sonny Mallhi), Invitation (director: Karyn Kusama)

Meet The Student:

Will Brittain / Eric Tull

A Teacher marks the on-screen debut of Will Brittain, a fresh-faced young actor from Austin, Texas.

Prior to his role in the film, Will appeared on stage in several prominent theatrical productions in Austin including: “Colossal”, “Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde”, and “D’Angelico”.

Will was featured as a Sundance Breakout Star by Indiewire and named one of their Ten Actors to Watch at SXSW.

Meet The Woman Behind The Film:

Hannah Fidell / Director, Writer, Producer

Hannah Fidell is a filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. Her first feature film, A Teacher, debuted at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and recently played in the Festival Favorites section of SXSW where Fidell was awarded the Chicken & Egg Emerging Narrative Female Director award. She was also included in Filmmaker Magazine’s annual “25 New Faces of Independent Film” list in 2012. Hannah had two short films, “The Gathering Squall” and “Man & Gun” play at SXSW in 2012. She is currently in pre-production on her next film.

You might have heard a thing or two about Hannah Fidell’s “A Teacher”, an indie drama about a teacher who has an affair with one of her students. Shenanigans, we assume, ensues. Like most stories in the news about student-teacher relationships, it only works when the teacher is kinda hot. Let’s face it, no one wants to read/watch stories about ugly teachers and ugly students. That’s just how we roll. Check out the first teaser trailer for the film, which recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Of course. Where else would a film like this premiere But Sundance? It’s basically what Sundance was created for in the first place. Diana Watts, a high school teacher in Austin, Texas, is in the midst of an affair with one of her students, Eric Tull. As the reality of their situation forces itself upon them, Diana puts the relationship on hold.

Check out the new poster for A Teacher directed by Hannah Fidell. The drama stars Lindsay Burdge and Will Brittain. The story set in Austin, Texas follows Diana Watts, a high school teacher who is in the midst of an affair with one of her students, Eric Tull. As the reality of their situation forces itself upon them, Diana puts the relationship on hold. It’s only a matter of time before she gives in again to her desire; this time even more recklessly than before. The film made its premiere at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, and co-stars Jennifer Prediger, Julie Dell Phillips, Jonny Mars and Chris Doubek.

Check out the new poster for A Teacher directed by Hannah Fidell. The drama stars Lindsay Burdge and Will Brittain. The story set in Austin, Texas follows Diana Watts, a high school teacher who is in the midst of an affair with one of her students, Eric Tull. As the reality of their situation forces itself upon them, Diana puts the relationship on hold. It’s only a matter of time before she gives in again to her desire; this time even more recklessly than before. The film made its premiere at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, and co-stars Jennifer Prediger, Julie Dell Phillips, Jonny Mars and Chris Doubek.