The Teachers' Lounge

Carla Nowak, an idealistic young teacher, starts her first job at a secondary school, teaching maths and sport. When a series of thefts occurs at the school and one of her pupils falls under suspicion, she decides to investigate the matter herself rather than leave it to the school's procedures. Her efforts to mediate between angry parents, stubborn colleagues and hostile students bring her up against the structures of the school system, and her attempts to do the right thing carry consequences that threaten to overwhelm her.

The Teachers' Lounge is a German drama directed by İlker Çatak, who wrote the screenplay with Johannes Duncker; Ingo Fliess produced it. Leonie Benesch plays Carla, with Leonard Stettnisch, Eva Löbau, Michael Klammer, Rafael Stachowiak and Sarah Bauerett among the 42 credited cast members. The film runs 98 minutes. It was released in 2023, and Çatak's directorial credits listed here place it before Yellow Letters (2026).

Audience responses are positive but measured: on IMDb it holds 7.4/10 from around 30,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.2/10 from roughly 760 votes. A film critics' rating of 8.1/10 from 147 reviews is noticeably higher than those audience scores.