The German film The Teachers’ Lounge by ?lker Çatak has won the Latin American Critics’ Award for European Films, which is being presented for the first time by European Film Promotion (EFP) in cooperation with the Guadalajara International Film Festival.
TFV Critic Boyd van Hoeij reviewed the film in Berlin, calling it “a fascinating portrait of contemporary society in miniature, where people might be overly sensitive on the one hand but on the other it has also become much harder to teach kids anything because each minor issue might spiral out of control …”
The announcement was made on the evening of June 9th at the Guadalajara International Film Festival, which will run until June 15th. The German director, who couldn’t attend the festival in person because he is in the middle of shooting his next film, sent greetings to the festival and to the audience. “It’s a great honour and a great pleasure to have received this award. I am very happy that the film is screening in Guadalajara and I hope that it will hit theatres very soon in Latin America. Lots of love to you and for cinema!”
“Congratulations to Ilker Çatak for winning the award. It was probably the universality of the film’s theme, the outstanding directing and Leonie Benesch’s excellent performance in front of the camera which convinced the jury. Our sincere thanks go to the 33 selected film critics from 13 Latin American countries in the jury who took their time to watch all 23 nominated films from 23 different European countries. And of course to the Festival del cine en Guadalajara for giving us a fantastic stage to introduce our first Latin American Critics’ Award”, EFP’s Managing Director Sonja Heinen says.
“We are very excited to be part of the Latin American Critics’ Award for European Films and to receive the first winning film. This synergy connects the Latin American perspective with European stories and modes of filmmaking, which represents a magnificent opportunity for establishing an enriching dialogue between two regions”, says Estrella Araiza, Managing Director of the Guadalajara International Film Festival.
With the first Latin American Critics’ Award for European Films, EFP is focusing on the Central and South American continent and looking to boost the visibility and circulation of European films and “festival hits” in Latin America.
The Latin American Critics’ Award in cooperation with the Guadalajara Film Festival is made possible thanks to the national film promotion institutes. LatAm cinema and Cineuropa are the media partners.
