Favoriten
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“I’ll go tell the teacher”
Overview
An astonishingly cheerful portrait of a small community, Ruth Beckermann’s latest award-winning documentary Favoriten takes a fly on the wall look into a classroom in one of Vienna’s most culturally diverse neighbourhoods. Teaching pupils aged seven to ten, majority of whom speak German as their second language, the ambitious teacher Ilkay gently navigates her class through daily adventures in spite of the education system’s limited resources, determined to foster an inclusive, supportive and safe environment.
Winner: Firebird Award Best Documentary
Winner: Peace Film Prize
Winner: Jury of Vienna Film Award
“A vibrant, provocative and ultimately optimistic portrait”
“Effectively navigates ideas of race, community and opportunity through its endearing, and often surprisingly insightful, subjects”
Why You Should See This Film
An ode to childhood, celebrating the work of educators and lifelong learning in and outside the classroom, Favoriten is a wonderful portrait of not only contemporary schooling in Vienna and all its boons and challenges, but of the current cultural landscape of Vienna (and by extension, Europe). In the vein of Maria Speth’s epic Mr Bachmann and His Class (2021) and, of course, Frederick Wiseman’s influential High School (1968), this briskly paced observational documentary is neither too dense nor shallow; a warm, quality time with the developing minds of this emotionally rich societal microcosm.
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