Films A - Z

Wenders, Wim

Wim Wenders (born 14.07.1945, Düsseldorf, Germany)
Wenders graduated from the Gymnasium (high school) in Oberhausen, then studied medicine (1963-64) and philosophy (1964-65) in Freiburg and Düsseldorf. However, he dropped out of school and moved to Paris in 1966 to become a painter. Wenders failed his entry test at the Art Academy, so instead became an engraver in the studio of Johnny Friedlander, an American artist, in Montparnasse. During this time, Wenders became fascinated with cinema, and saw up to 5 movies a day at the local movie theater. Wenders returned to Germany in 1967 to work in the Düsseldorf office of United Artists. That fall, he entered the Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München (University of Television and Film Munich). Between 1967 and 1970 while at the HFF, Wenders also worked as a film critic for FilmKritik, then the Munich daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, Twen magazine, and Der Spiegel. Wenders completed several short films before graduating from the Hochschule with a feature-length 16mm black and white film, Summer in the City. Wenders began his career in film as part of the New German Cinema in the late 1960s, making his feature directorial debut with Summer in the City in 1970. Awards that he has received include the Golden Lion for The State of Things at the Venice FF in 1982, the Palme d'Or at the Cannes FF in 1984 for his movie Paris, Texas, and Best Direction for Wings of Desire at the 1987 Cannes FF. Wenders was awarded honorary doctorates at the Sorbonne in Paris in 1989 and at the Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium in 2005. He was awarded the Leopard of Honour at the Locarno IFF in 2005. He has directed several highly acclaimed documentaries, most notably Buena Vista Social Club about Cuban musicians, and Soul of a Man about American blues. Wenders has directed many music videos for U2, such as "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" and a number of television commercials. Wenders is also a member of the advisory board of World Cinema Foundation. The project was founded by Martin Scorsese and aimed at finding and reconstructing world cinema films that have been long neglected. He is President of the European Film Academy.

Filmography
Summer in the City (1970), The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty (Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter, 1972), The Scarlet Letter (Der Scharlachrote Buchstabe, 1973), Alice in the Cities (Alice in den Städten, 1974), False Movement (Falsche Bewegung, 1975), Kings of the Road (Im Lauf der Zeit, 1976), The American Friend (Der Amerikanische Freund, 1977), Lightning Over Water (1980), Hammett (1982), The State of Things (Der Stand der Dinge, 1982), Docu Drama (1984), Paris, Texas (1984), Tokyo-Ga (1985), Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin, 1987), Notebook on Cities and Clothes (Aufzeichnungen zu Kleidern und Städten, 1989), Until the End of the World (Bis ans Ende der Welt, 1991), Arisha, der Bär und der steinerne Ring (1992), Faraway, So Close! (In weiter Ferne, so nah! 1993), Lisbon Story (1994), Beyond the Clouds (Al di là delle nuvole, 1995), Brothers Skladanowsky (Die Gebrüder Skladanowsky, 1995), Lumière and Company (Lumière et compagnie, 1995), The End of Violence (1997), Willie Nelson at the Teatro (1998), Buena Vista Social Club (1999), The Million Dollar Hotel (2000), Ode to Cologne: A Rock 'N' Roll Film (Viel passiert - Der BAP-Film, 2002), Other Side of the Road (2003), The Soul of a Man (2003), Land of Plenty (2004), Don't Come Knocking (2005), Invisibles (2007) (segment "Invisible Crimes"), To Each His Cinema (2007) (segment "War in Peace"), Palermo Shooting (2008).