Ilker Çatak's 'The Teachers' Lounge' Takes Top Prize at 2023 German Film Awards

Image:
Movie poster for The Teachers' Lounge. Features a pale woman with red hair standing in front of blue chalkboard background.

Former Max Kade Foundation Artist-in-Residence Ilker Çatak's new film Das Lehrerzimmer, or "The Teachers' Lounge," won the best film at the German Film Awards this past Friday, May 12th. 

The film tells the story of Carla Nowak, a promising new teacher navigating her first job. A series of thefts soon draws Carla into a snowballing narrative that explores themes of racism, institutionalism, idealism, intergenerational tension, and mass education. Actress Leonie Benesch won the best actress award for her role as Carla.

The German Film Awards, also called the Lolas because of the statuettes awarded, are considered the highest German honor for filmmakers. This year, Çatak's film beat out even the Oscar award-winning film All Quiet on the Western Front for best film overall, best director, best screenplay, and best editing. 

The Teachers’ Lounge is Çatak's fourth feature film and the second film he has made with producer Ingo Fliess of Munich-based if… Productions. The two first worked together on 2019’s I Was, I Am, I Will Be, which won the New German Cinema Award for the screenplay and for Ogulcan Arman Uslu's performance at the Munich Film Festival. It also earned five nominations at the 2020 German Film Awards.

Read More:
The Hollywood Reporter: ‘The Teachers’ Lounge’ Takes Top Prize at 2023 German F…

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