İlker Çatak is a German director and screenwriter of Turkish descent, born in Berlin in 1984. After studying film direction at the Hamburg Media School, he gained his first major international recognition with his graduation short film, "Sadakat" (2015), which earned him the Student Academy Award in Gold. His career continued with feature films exploring complex social and personal dynamics, such as "Es gilt das gesprochene Wort" (2019). His definitive breakthrough came with "The Teachers' Lounge" ("Das Lehrerzimmer", 2023), a tense psychological drama set in a school. The film was critically acclaimed and triumphed at the Deutscher Filmpreis, Germany's most prestigious film awards, winning in major categories including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. The work also received an Oscar nomination for Best International Feature Film, solidifying Çatak's reputation as one of the most significant voices in contemporary German cinema.