The Teachers‘ Lounge
by İlker Çatak
Germany

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latin american critic's award for european films °°° latin american critic's award for european films °°° latin american critic's award for european films °°° latin american critic's award for european films °°° latin american critic's award for european films °°° latin american critic's award for european films °°° latin american critic's award for european films °°° latin american critic's award for european films °°° latin american critic's award for european films °°° latin american critic's award for european films °°° latin american critic's award for european films °°° latin american critic's award for european films °°° latin american critic's award for european films °°° latin american critic's award for european films °°°

latin amarican critics’ award for european films – crafting a flavor for European cinema in Latin America

The LATIN AMERICAN CRITICS AWARD programme opens doors for the Latin American film industry and cinephiles to contemporary cinema from Europe.

A jury of 34 renowned film critics and journalists from 13 Latin American countries screens a selection of fresh European festival hits and selects three best-loved ones. The three finalists get promoted internationally via social media and numerous press activities. The winning film is announced at a festive ceremony at the Guadalajara International Film Festival in Mexico.

The initiative wants to spur the awareness of European films in Latin America, while recognizing the invaluable role of film criticis and journalists in promoting arthouse cinema.

how to participate

The programme is open for European films from 2024/2025 which:

  • have screened in 2024 at Karlovy Vary, Sarajevo, Locarno, Venice, Toronto, San Sebastian, IDFA, Leipzig, Thessaloniki, Tallinn; or in 2024 at Sundance, Rotterdam, Berlin, CPH:Dox, HotDocs Toronto, Annecy
  • have won “Best Film” at national film awards and the feature-length national Oscar entry in 2024 (world premiere in 2024), or are EFA-shortlisted for 2024 or Oscar-shortlisted in 2025

Interested parties whose films meet the criteria, please contact your national EFP representative by mid-March 2025.

Each EFP member country is entitled to nominate one film. The final list of nominees will be announced beginning of June.

finalists 2024

The Teachers’ Lounge follows the young and dedicated teacher Carla Nowack (Leonie Benesch/European Shooting Star 2023) who is torn between her idealism and the reality of everyday school life in her first job. Directed by İlker Çatak and based on a screenplay he co-wrote with Johannes Duncker, the film explores society and social behaviour outside the classroom. It deals with topics such as prejudice, racism, disinformation and surveillance. In 2023, the drama celebrated its world premiere in the Berlinale’s Panorama section, screened at numerous other festivals and won several awards, including five German Film Awards as well as the Europa Cinemas Label for Best European Film at the Berlinale. The Teachers’ Lounge was produced by if… productions, in co-production with ZDF and arte, and was this year's German entry and one of the five nominees for the Academy Awards® in the Best International Feature Film category.

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The Teachers‘ Lounge
by İlker Çatak
Germany

According to Greek director Sofia Exarchou “Animal is an allegory for any kind of labour and work.ˮ In her film, she invites her audience to a Greek all-inclusive hotel and the world of animators and poses the question of “what does it mean to have to put on the same costume, play the same roles and deliver with the same energy and smiles every day?ˮ Animal, a co-production with Austria, Romania, Cyprus and Bulgaria, had its world premiere at the 2023 Locarno Film Festival and received the Silver Leopard for Best Performance (Dimitra Vlagopoulou). Further awards included, among others, the Golden Alexander for Best Film and Best Actress at the Thessaloniki Film Festival and the Vanguard Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

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Animal
by Sofia Exarchou
Greece

Bad Living by João Canijo deals with inherited traumas and the suffering of a dysfunctional family. A group of women from different generations of the same family, whose relationships with each other have grown poisoned by bitterness, are living together in a family-run hotel on Portugal’s northern shore. They are trying to survive in the declining hotel when the unexpected arrival of a granddaughter to this oppressive space stirs trouble, reviving latent hatred and piled-up resentments. Canijo had been working on the script for two years with the three actresses Anabela Moreira, Rita Blanco and Madalena Almeidaam in order “to get the truth from each of themˮ. Bad Living had its world premiere at the Berlinale where it won the Silver Bear Jury Prize. Further awards included Best Portuguese Feature Film at IndieLisboa - International Film Festival, Lady Harimaguada de Oro, the Audience Award at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival and the Best Actress award (Anabela Moreira) at the Festival CINEUROPA - Santiago de Compostela.

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Bad Living
by João Canijo
Portugal

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