The German school thriller by İlker Çatak The teachers’ lounge won the first Latin American Critics’ Prize for European films. The award was announced on Sunday June 9 during the Guadalajara International Film Festival in Mexico.
Léonie Benesch plays an idealistic young teacher who finds herself caught in a web of internal intrigue in Çatak’s tense drama. The teachers’ lounge premiered at last year’s Berlin Film Festival and was a hit during awards season, winning Best Film at the German Film Awards and landing an Oscar nomination for Best international feature film.
“It is a great honor and pleasure to have received this award,” Çatak said in a statement. “I hope the film will be released in theaters in Latin America very soon. Lots of love to you and to cinema!
33 film critics from 13 Latin American countries selected The teachers’ lounge among 23 nominated European films submitted by European Film Promotion, which created the new LatAm Critics’ Award with the aim of increasing the visibility of acclaimed European films in Central and South American markets.
Guadalajara festival director Estrella Araiza said the award represented a synergy connecting “the Latin American perspective with European stories and filmmaking, representing an enriching dialogue between two regions.”
