“The Teachers’ Lounge” wins Berlinale Europa Cinemas Award; EFM Participation Rates and Canadian First Nation Doc Wins Montana’s Big Sky Award – Global Briefs

Ilker Çatak’s The Teachers’ Lounge wins the Europa Cinemas prize in Berlin
Ilker Katak staff room won the Europa Cinemas label for best European film in the Panorama section of the Berlinale. The award was decided by a jury of four exhibitors from the Europa Cinemas network, consisting of Marius Bălănescu (Cinema Victoria, Cluj-Napoca, Romania), Will Fitzgerald (Pálás, Galway, Ireland), Tanja Helm (Cinematograph & Leokino, Innsbruck, Austria) and Ola Starmach (Kino Pod Baranami, Kraków, Poland). Members of the Europa Cinemas network receive a financial incentive if they program the film for wider distribution. “staff room is an intense and very well produced drama set in a German primary school. The film addresses important issues such as the spread of bureaucracy in schools and issues of race and class, but above all it is a gripping roller-coaster ride of drama.” The title is distributed internationally by Be For Films of Brussels and produced by Ingo Fliess for if …Productions from Munich.

The Berlinale’s European film market reports a busy return
The European film market reported a return to full physical capacity after the disruption of two editions of Covid-19. In new figures, the market said it welcomed 230 sites and 612 companies from 78 countries. A total of 11,500 market participants from 132 countries participated, including 1,302 buyers. In terms of content, 773 films were screened in 1,533 screenings, of which 647 were online screenings and 599 were market premieres. A total of 629 film projects were presented on the new EFM producer and project pages.

Siksika Bareback Horseback Riding Doc Wins Montana’s Big Sky Award
Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: For the sun by Banchi Hanuse (nuxalk radio, cried Rock) took home the Big Sky Award at the 2023 edition of the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Montana. The award is given to a film of any length that artfully celebrates the character, history, heritage and imagination of the American West. Hanuse’s documentary follows a young woman from the Siksika First Nation Canada as she prepares for a dangerous bareback horse race. “On behalf of our documentary team and the Rooi Kraai family, we are honored to receive the Big Sky Award,” said Hanuse. “The spirit of the film stems from Logan’s relationship with her horses and family as she prepares for her transformative and death-defying journey, and we are grateful that the love underlying that spirit can be shared with the rest of the world.” film will be screened at the festival on February 25.