British South Asian drama A Teacher’s Gift has secured UK theatrical distribution through Peccadillo Pictures, the independent distributor known for its LGBTQ+ and world cinema releases. The deal confirms the film’s eligibility for the British Independent Film Awards, and it is set to open in UK cinemas in mid-November.
Set across London and India, the film follows Rohan, an ambitious Hindi teacher caught between his family’s expectations, including pressure to enter an arranged marriage, and his own desires. His life shifts when an older Englishman joins his class, and the two form a bond over shared interests in literature and cricket. As their connection deepens, it pushes both men to reckon with questions of identity, belonging, and the ties between generations, eventually taking the story to India, where past and present collide.
The film is directed by Artur Ribeiro, known for Terra Nova, from a script he co-wrote with Rajdeep Choudhury and Will D. Parry. It is produced by Eric Ollerenshaw and was shot in the Midlands, with Wolverhampton-based New Lion Films co-producing, giving the project a regional footprint outside London. The film is backed by India’s National Film Development Corporation and British-South African entrepreneur Richard Murray.
The film’s cast is led by Rajdeep Choudhury, known for Simulacra, alongside Anthony Calf, known for The Madness of King George, and Anjali Patil, known for Newton. They are joined by Paula Lobo Antunes, Dhruv Sehgal, Virgilio Castelo, and Varun Buddhadev.
Peccadillo Pictures founder Tom Abell said the film is exactly the kind of nuanced, globally minded British cinema the company is passionate about bringing to audiences, praising Ribeiro, Parry, and Choudhury for crafting a tender, quietly radical story that moves across generations, continents, and cultures without losing sight of its human core. Producer Eric Ollerenshaw called securing UK theatrical distribution with Peccadillo another remarkable step for an independent British film, adding that the release ensures the film’s story can be experienced on the big screen, where its themes of culture, care, and connection truly belong.
Ahead of its UK release, A Teacher’s Gift has had a substantial festival run. It premiered at Tribeca Festival Lisboa before playing at the Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival, where it received a Best Feature Film nomination, and later earned a Special Mention for Best Feature Film at the BIFA-qualifying Unrestricted View Film Festival. It went on to make its Asian premiere at the 56th International Film Festival of India, followed by its Latin American premiere at the Guadalajara International Film Festival, where it competed for the Premio Maguey.
Founded in London in 2000, Peccadillo Pictures has built a reputation as a leading UK distributor of art house, LGBTQ+, and world cinema, with past releases including Weekend, Tomboy, Chemsex, and Lesbian Space Princess. The company is led by Managing Directors Tom Abell and Kahloon Loke.
With UK distribution now confirmed, A Teacher’s Gift moves into contention for this year’s British Independent Film Awards, giving the drama a theatrical platform after a festival run that has already spanned Europe, Asia, and Latin America.