This observational documentary follows a year in the lives of two inspirational teachers in the only primary-age boarding school in Ireland. Headfort has been home to John and Amanda Leyden for 46 years and a backdrop to their extraordinary careers. For John, rock music is just another subject alongside Math, English, Scripture and Latin, all of which are taught in a collaborative and often hilarious fashion. For Amanda, the key to connecting with children are books, and she uses all means to snare young minds. Is the school an anachronism in this globalized world or a clever remake of the flawed British public school model? And now the unthinkable looms: what would retirement mean for John and Amanda? Headfort School, spanning the ancient and the ultra-modern, has been their life and passion—who will keep them young if they leave?
“[F]inds a finite poetry in the raw nature of education itself.” — Indiewire
Directors’ Biographies
Neasa Ní Chianáin: Neasa Ní Chianáin trained at the National College of Art & Design in Dublin. She worked as a freelance art director before turning to documentary filmmaking. Her films include No Man’s Land ('01), Frank Ned & Busy Lizzie ('04), Fairytale of Kathmandu ('07), and The Stranger ('14).
David Rane: David Rane is a graduate of the M.A. Film and Television course at the University of London (Goldsmiths College) and a BAFTA-winning producer and director, who has produced award-winning documentary films for national and international broadcasters. School Life is his first feature length film as a director.
Sponsored by: