Academy Awards
School trip to the Oscars – German final spurt in Hollywood
Ilker Çatak (lr), Leonie Benesch and Sandra Hülser attend the German Films reception in Los Angeles. photo
© Barbara Munker/dpa
The countdown to the Oscars is on. The German nominees and their teams are already celebrating – in a relaxed manner.
Hollywood will be in the spotlight when the world’s most important film prize is awarded there on Sunday evening (local time). But shortly before Sandra Hülser, Wim Wenders and Ilker Çatak still seem completely relaxed at the Oscar gala. The reception of German Films, the foreign representation of German film, was relaxed on Friday (local time) in West Hollywood – delicious snacks, hugs and smiling faces.
No trace of nervousness before the big performance. “I’m going in with a lot of gratitude. I think also with a lot of calm,” says Hülser in the dpa interview. She is pleased that almost the entire team from “Anatomy of a Case” and also from “The Zone of Interest” came – “and that we can experience and enjoy this evening together.” Both films are nominated for five Oscars each, including in the top category of “Best Film”. “That’s a lot. It’s different than last time,” says the 45-year-old.
Oscar premiere with “Toni Erdmann”
She celebrated her Oscar premiere in 2017 as the leading actress in Maren Ade’s comedy-drama “Toni Erdmann”, with a nomination in the “International Feature Film” category, but without a win. Now Hülser, who lives in Leipzig, is in the running for best actress with her leading role in the French legal drama “Anatomy of a Case”. There is also a supporting role in “The Zone of Interest” as the wife of the concentration camp commander Rudolf Höß (Christian Friedel).
She recently won the César trophy for best actress in Paris for her English and French-language role in “Anatomy of a Case” as a wife under suspicion of murder. “I really find it very open and also very indiscriminate,” she also says about her experiences in Hollywood. “It’s really about whether it’s good work. It really doesn’t matter where someone comes from. That’s the impression I have right now and that’s really great.”
Ilker Çatak feels like a “crazy outsider”
Director Ilker Çatak (40), who was born in Berlin and grew up partly in Turkey, is in the running in the “International Film” category with his school drama “The Teacher’s Room”. At the center is a dedicated teacher (Leonie Benesch) who wants to solve a series of thefts and becomes increasingly entangled in the process.
However, he doesn’t believe he will win an Oscar. “You are asked to prepare a speech just in case,” says the director. He did that too, but he felt like a “crazy outsider” in terms of his chances of winning. “We’ll be able to go there and sit back and applaud and congratulate people.” He is also relaxed because his family and many close friends traveled with him to the Oscars. “It feels more like a school trip,” says the filmmaker with a grin.
But the Oscar countdown isn’t quite so relaxed. On Friday, Çatak still didn’t have a suit. The fitting is only on Saturday. He is excited to see what it will look like. Only a few of the team are allowed to walk down the red carpet. His wife, film producer Ingo Fliess and leading actress Leonie Benesch (32) are there.
Oscar tip from Leonie Benesch
As an 18-year-old young star, Benesch had already had a taste of Oscar air in 2010. At that time she was part of the cast of Michael Haneke’s drama “The White Ribbon”. Now she’s older and has a better idea of what to expect, says the actress with a wink. She is also quite sure that it is not “The Teacher’s Room” but the British film “The Zone of Interest” that will win the foreign Oscar.
But that doesn’t diminish her joy. “It’s completely absurd how far our little film has come,” says Benesch. “The nomination was always the biggest dream. The fact that it worked is crazy. And now we can go on a school trip. That’s amazing.”