Ilker Çatak- Hot Seat Interview- Director- The Teachers’ Lounge

The biggest and brightest discovery for me in 2023 was the work of filmmaker Ilker Çatak. Born in Berlin, Germany, his newest film The Teachers’ Lounge has been submitted for the Best International Feature Oscar, and that’s because it’s a spectacular film. It’s the kind of work that lingers long with you, marinating on the complex story you have watched, and then prompting you to see where you can watch his previous three films. His films have been compared to that of Michael Haneke, but hopefully, this is a start for Çatak to carve his path. I was lucky enough to sit down with Ilker and talk about his inspiration behind making The Teachers’ Lounge, the underlying messages about honesty and accusations, and his phenomenal lead Leonie Benesch. Watch it here: