THE TEACHERS' LOUNGE

Carla Nowak is a dedicated sports and math teacher starting her first job at a junior high school. She’s also naive and idealistic with a firm sense of right and wrong. When a series of thefts occur at the school, and a young Turkish student is suspected, Carla decides to investigate the matter on her own. Her plan to catch the thief only gets her deeper and deeper embroiled in conflict and the target of a theft herself. When the culprit turns out to be a school employee and the mother of her student, Carla finds herself in a situation that rapidly spirals out of control. As Carla tries to mediate between outraged parents, opinionated colleagues, and aggressive students, she is relentlessly confronted with the rigid structures of a bureaucratic school system. The more desperately she tries to do everything right, the more the well-meaning young teacher finds herself under attack. This gripping drama about conformity, racism, and rebellion takes us deep inside rapidly shifting power dynamics, the consequences of taking a stand, and the complicated search for truth.  Directed and co-written by Ilker Catak, The Teachers' Lounge is Germany’s submission to the Oscars for Best International Feature. Q & A with director following screening.