Être et avoir

In the countryside of Auvergne, a sparsely populated region in central France, there is a village school where teacher Georges Lopez, as charismatic as he is engaging, teaches 13 pupils aged four to 12, all in one class. Some he teaches to read and write, others are taught the basics of grammar and mathematics. With calmness and patience, he prepares his pupils for life after school.

This nostalgic documentary shows a world where life is still simple and orderly, and that captured the imagination enormously. Consequently, the film became a huge hit, not only in France but worldwide. Nobody had seen it coming, including Lopez, who had collaborated without a fee. A year later, he filed a lawsuit against Philibert and the producers, demanding to be paid. Some parents of the children portrayed did the same. However, the judge did not go along with them; their demands were rejected.