İlker Çatak
İlker Çatak (born in 1984 in Berlin) is a German writer and director. He won the Student Academy Award in Gold in 2015 with his graduation film Fidelity (Original Title: Sadakat). His filmography includes works such as Once Upon a Time... Indianerland (German: Es war einmal Indianerland, 2017), I was, I am, I will be (German: Es gilt das gesprochene Wort, 2019) and The Teachers' Lounge (German: Das Lehrerzimmer, 2023) which received numerous awards including an Academy Award nomination for Best International Film and established him as a versatile and innovative filmmaker.[1]
Career[edit]
İlker Çatak was born in Berlin in 1984 to Turkish immigrants. At the age of twelve, he moved to Istanbul and graduated there from the embassy school. He then returned to Germany and worked for German and international cinema productions. From 2005, he directed short films and commercials. In 2009, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Film and Television Directing at the Dekra Medienhochschule Berlin.[2] His short film When Namibia was a city... (Original: Namibya şehir iken..., co-directed by Johannes Duncker) premiered at the Hof International Film Festival 2010.[3] From 2012-2014, he studied Directing at the Hamburg Media School. The short film Where we are (German: Wo wir sind) was selected for the talent showcase Next Generation Short Tiger[4] and a finalist for the Student Academy Awards 2014.[5] His graduation short Fidelity (Original: Sadakat) won the Student Academy Award in Gold in 2015.[6] Both films won the Best Short Film Award at the Filmfestival Max-Ophüls-Prize Saarbrücken in 2014 and 2015,[7] among numerous other awards. İlker Çatak's debut feature film Once upon a time... Indianerland (German: Es war einmal Indianerland) was released in German cinemas in 2017. His next feature film I was, I am, I will be (German: Es gilt das gesprochene Wort, 2019) won the German Film Award (Bronze) in 2020 and was nominated for Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor.[8] Stambul Garden (German: Räuberhände, 2021) won the Bavarian Film Award 2022 for Best Young Actor.
In February 2023, the feature The Teachers' Lounge (German: Das Lehrerzimmer) premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival. The film won five German Film Awards for Best Film (Gold), Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Editing.[9] It screened at numerous international festivals and was released theatrically in many countries. In 2024, The Teachers' Lounge received an Academy Award nomination for Best International Film.[10]
References[edit]
- ^ "The Awards and Jury of Berlinale Shorts". www.berlinale.de. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ "Ilker Çatak | filmportal.de". www.filmportal.de. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ "NAMIBYA ŞEHIR IKEN ..." HOME OF FILMS. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ "Next Generation Short Tiger 2014: Kurzfilmprogramm feiert Weltpremiere in Cannes | filmportal.de". www.filmportal.de. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ "2014 Student Academy Awards® Finalists Announced | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". www.oscars.org. 2014-08-21. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ "Deutsche gewinnen Studenten-Oscars – DW – 26.08.2015". dw.com (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ "Preisträger:innen 1980 bis heute | Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis". ffmop.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ "2020 • Deutscher Filmpreis". Deutscher Filmpreis (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ "2023 • Deutscher Filmpreis". Deutscher Filmpreis (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ "Oscar® Nomination for THE TEACHERS' LOUNGE". www.german-films.de. 2024-01-23. Retrieved 2024-02-25.