The Teacher’s Lounge by Ilker Çatak (if… Productions Film) will enter the race for Germany to the 96th Oscars® in the “Best International Feature Film”category. The choice was decided by an independent nine member jury who were appointed by various associations working within the German film industry. A total of 13 films were submitted for consideration.
Jury spokesperson Torsten Koch (Constantin Film, German Distributors Association) gave the motivation for its choice as follows, “By nominating “THE TEACHERS’ LOUNGE”, the jury has chosen a highly topical, universal feature film that is impossible to resist. Student Academy Award® winner Ilker Çatak takes the microcosm of a school as the setting for social processes of erosion in the post-factual age. Çatak is masterful in the way he stages his precisely written story as a breakdown in understanding. Leonie Benesch delivers a breathtaking performance as an idealist who, in trying to do everything right, comes under increasing pressure – intensified by the clever decision to adopt the unusual 4:3 format. THE TEACHERS’ LOUNGE is supported by the outstanding casting and superb performances of its diverse ensemble.”
TFV critc, Boyd van Hoeij, in his review, called the film, “a great performance from German actress Leonie Benesch (The Crown) in a solid drama about trying to stand upright in a world of changing mores.”
Statements by director Ilker Çatak und producer Ingo Fliess:
„The nomination of our film for the „Best International Feature Film“ Oscar® is a special honour and recognition of our consistent work as well as of the creative passion of all involved. We are deeply grateful for this opportunity and are delighted from the bottom of our hearts. At the same time, however, we are very aware of the responsibility involved in representing German film on the international stage. We see our film as being both an individual work as well as a contribution to our nation’s cultural identity. We will show full commitment to living up to this responsibility.“
About the film:
The drama THE TEACHERS‘ LOUNGE centres on Carla Nowak (Leonie Benesch), a young and dedicated sports and math teacher who starts her first job full of idealism. But then there are a series of thefts at her school.
When a Turkish student is accused of thieving, Carla decides to get to the bottom of the matter, but she faces an insoluble dilemma: the prime suspect, the school’s secretary, is the mother of her most talented pupil, Oskar. The forces Carla has unleashed slide out of control to the point where Oskar contacts the school newspaper to publicize his mother’s point of view – which then sparks a heated debate about truth and justice. Carla tries to mediate between outraged parents, opinionated colleagues and aggressive students, but is mercilessly confronted in the process by the structures of the school system. The more she tries desperately to do everything right, the more the young teacher is on the verge of breaking apart.
THE TEACHERS‘ LOUNGE is an electrifying work about the microcosm of a school as a mirror of our society. The film celebrated its world premiere at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival 2023 in the Panorama section, generating both national and international attention.
Sony Pictures Classics has already bought the film for North and Latin America as well as for Eastern Europe. “The film was produced by if…Productions Film in co-production with ZDF and ARTE and supported by BKM, MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein as well as the German Federal Film Fund (DFFF) and the German Federal Film Board (FFA).
The film was released in German cinemas on May 4, 2023 by Alamode Filmdistribution and had posted around 230,000 admissions by August. Another 20,000 moviegoers are expected by the time the film is scheduled for release on DVD and VoD.
In addition, THE TEACHERS‘ LOUNGE was sold to all territories worldwide, with the exception of Southeast Asia, by the sales company Be for Films.
Ilker Çatak has already had experience of winning at the Oscars®: his graduation film “SADAKAT” (FIDELITY) from the Hamburg Media School won the Student Academy Award® in Gold for “Best Foreign Film” in 2015.
