The Education of Jane Cumming

The Education of Jane Cumming

Director: Sophie Heldman
Country: Germany, Switzerland, United Kingdom

2026 | 114 min. | English
Subtitles: German
FSK 12

Cast_ Flora Nicholson, Clare Dunne, Mia Tharia, Fiona Shaw Screenplay_ Flora Nicholson, Sophie Heldman Camera_ Kate Reid Producer_ Bettina Brokemper Rights_ Farbfilm Verleih

Two women live the dream of an independent life in 19th-century Scotland. Suddenly, they risk losing everything. Based on true events.

Edinburgh, 1810. Teachers Jane Pirie and Marianne Woods run a small boarding school. Jane Cumming, a girl from India who is the illegitimate granddaughter of a wealthy aristocrat, enrolls at the school. They make every effort to welcome her into their community, but in a context of pervasive racism, she remains an outsider. During a summer vacation spent together, the two teachers gradually become a surrogate family for Jane. Yet they cannot fulfill the girl’s growing desire for closeness and intimacy. An accusation follows, drawing Jane and Marianne into a dramatic struggle for their existence.

Director

German-Swiss filmmaker Sophie Heldman worked on independent film productions in New York and studied directing at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin. After the major success of her debut feature ›Satte Farben vor Schwarz‹, her follow-up, ›The Education of Jane Cumming‹, had its world premiere at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival.

Screenings