Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all media rights in North America, Latin America and Eastern Europe excluding Hungary to Ilker Çatak’s Berlin Panorama award winner The Teachers’ Lounge.
Çatak’s fourth feature won the Europa Cinemas Label award for Best European film in the Panorama as well as the CICAE Arthouse Cinema Award and stars Leonie Benesch (The White Ribbon, The Crown, Berlinale Series entry The Swarm) stars as an idealistic sports and maths teacher.
When one of her students is suspected of being behind a series of thefts the teacher investigates and comes under intense pressure from all sides.
Michael Klammer, Rafael Stachowiak, and Eva Löbau round out the key cast. Çatak co-wrote The Teachers’ Lounge with Johannes Duncker, and Ingo Fliess for if… Productions Film served as producer.
“We identify with the protagonist who makes one mistake after another thinking she is doing the right thing,” said Sony Pictures Classics. “She is us. The movie is brilliant, precise, dramatic, beautiful. It will be a privilege to bring this engaging masterpiece to the wide public it deserves.”
“Becoming part of the Sony Pictures Classics family is an accolade for any filmmaker,” said Çatak. “The artists in their ranks have influenced me along the way and it is a great honour to now be able to count myself among them.”
Pamela Leu of Be For Films negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers. Be For Films previously licensed rights to France (Tandem), Benelux (Cineart), Italy (Lucky Red), Spain (A Contracorriente), Greece (Cinobo), Hungary (Mozinet) and Switzerland (Filmcoopi), Australia & New Zealand (Madman), South Korea (DHL Studio), MENA (Moving Turtle), Turkey (Bir Film), and Israel (New Cinema).
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