Wim Wenders
Professor of Film at The European Graduate School / EGS.
Biography
Wim Wenders (b. 1945) is a film director, writer, and photographer. He is a professor of film at The European Graduate School / EGS and Professor für Narrativen Film at the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg. Wenders is considered one of the most important figures to have emerged from the “New German Cinema” in the 1970s and was a founding member of the German film distribution company “Filmverlag der Autoren”. In 1977, he established his own production company in Berlin, “Road Movies,” which has produced many of his films, as well as numerous films by Ken Loach. Wenders received the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or in 1984 for his movie Paris, Texas, the Golden Lion at the 1982 Venice Film Festival for The State of Things, and won best director at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival for Wings of Desire. He has also been nominated three times for the Academy Awards for his films Buena Vista Social Club (2000), Pina (2012), and, most recently, The Salt of the Earth (2015).
Born in Düsseldorf, Wenders grew up in Düsseldorf, Koblenz and the surrounding areas. His early studies followed in the footsteps of his father with Wenders spending a year studying medicine in Freiburg (1963-1964), followed by a year studying philosophy (1964-1965). However, in 1966, he dropped out of university and moved to Paris to become a painter. In Paris, he worked as an engraver and has often described this period as the loneliest time of his life. As a result, he started to spend more and more time at Henri Langlois’s Cinémathèque and became enchanted by film, watching more than five films per day. After this experience, he returned to Germany and attended the University of Television and Film in Munich from 1967 to 1970, where he also began working as a film critic for Süddeutsche Zeitung and Filmkritik.
Wenders’s directorial debut was also his thesis film, Summer in the City, produced in 1970. This film also marks the start of a long and fruitful collaboration with his frequent cinematographer Robby Müller. His second film, The Goalkeeper’s Fear of the Penalty (1972), marked the beginning of another important collaboration––that with the Austrian writer Peter Handke. The Goalkeeper’s Fear of the Penalty was Wender’s adaptation of Handke’s critically acclaimed novel. Handke also wrote the script for Wenders’s movie The Wrong Move (1975) and co-wrote with Wenders the script for Wings of Desire (1987). Wenders sees the primary theme of this period in his career as “the Americanization of Germany.”
In 1978, Francis Ford Coppola hired Wenders to make a noir film, Hammett,loosely based on the life of Dashiell Hammett, before he became a writer. Unfortunately, their collaboration was not successful and, in the end, only thirty percent of the material Wenders shot remained in the final version of the film. One of their main disputes on set was over the choice of the main actor––Wenders wanted Sam Shepard, but he was not allowed to cast him. In part, addressing issues that arose during the making of Hammett, Wenders produced the short film Reverse Angle (1982), which reflects upon “filmmaking in Europe and America.”
When the shooting of Hammett was suspended, Wenders returned to Europe and made The State of Things (1982). This was a very personal and self-reflexive film in which Wenders again addressed some of the difficulties that he encountered during the making of Hammett. The State of Things tells the story about a German art film director, Friedrich Munro, and his film crew who are left stranded in Portugal after they lost the financial backing for the completion of their film. This film is also partially based on the problems that Raúl Ruiz had during the making of The Territory (1981), which Wenders had helped him to complete, and was thus also an inspiration for The State of Things. Friedrich Munro reappears in Lisbon Story (1994), which is considered as a partial sequel to The State of Things.
In 1984, Wenders completed one of his most successful films, Paris, Texas. The movie is based on a screenplay written by Sam Shepard and marks the end of the director’s so-called “American phase.” Following the success of his film, Wenders embarked on a prolonged period of travel and filming around the world, including Germany, Japan, Australia, Cuba and Israel. He first returned to Germany and made Wings of Desire (1987), which was another huge international success, and for which he received the award for best director at the Cannes Film Festival.
After he completed Wings of Desire, Wenders went to Japan were he made the highly acclaimed documentary Tokyo-Ga (1985) about the legendary Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu. Wenders’s forary into documentary filmmaking has been highly successful with some of his most important works during this period focusing on music. Buena Vista Social Club (1999) follows Ry Cooder and the music of Cuba and The Soul of a Man explores American blues music and the careers of Skip James, Blind Willie Johnson, and J.B. Lenoir.
Currently, Wim Wenders’s work explores 3D as a new language of filmmaking. The films If Buildings Could Talk (2010), Pina (2011), and Every Thing Will Be Fine (2015) approach this question from different perspectives. If Buildings Could Talk, Wenders’s short film about The Berlin Philharmonic, within the six-part omnibus Cathedrals of Culture (2014), uses 3D technology to offer a unique experience of architectural space, while Pina (2011), about dance choreographer Pina Bausch and her company, attempts to present movement, dance, and physicality in a new and visceral way. According to Wenders, 3D technology possesses hidden revolutionary potential that still remains unexplored. He insists that the language of 3D makes everything more visible, more emphatic––including the acting––as in Every Thing Will Be Fine (2015), the slightest show of emotion is perceived as “overacting,” and as such, this technique demands a new approach from the actor. According to Wenders, the 3D camera fundamentally questions and alters the profession of an actor, and therefore creates a completely new mindset both for the making and perception of films.
He is also a well-known photographer; his beautiful images of desolate landscapes engage themes of memory, time, and movement. After decades of photographing abandoned spaces and lonely roads throughout the world, Wenders produced the series of photographs, Pictures From the Surface of the Earth and Places, Strange and Quiet, which have been exhibited in numerous museums and art institutions.
Wenders is president of the European Film Academy, and an honorary professor at the University for Television and Film in Munich. He became a member of the Academy of Arts, Berlin in 1984, and holds four honorary doctorates from the Sorbonne, Paris (1989); the Theological Faculty of Fribourg University, Switzerland (1995); the University of Louvain, Belgium (2005); and the Architectural Faculty of the University of Catania, Italy (2010).
Presently, Wim Wenders and his wife, photographer Donata Wenders, live in Berlin. In the fall of 2012, they established the Wim Wenders Foundation situated in Düsseldorf. By acquiring the rights to all of his films, including those currently held by third parties, its primary aim is to make Wim Wenders’s oeuvre permanently accessible to the public at large. As well, the foundation provides a stipend, the Wim Wenders Bursary, for young filmmakers and artists “whose vision is to tell stories with new aesthetic and technical means and to enrich and renew our visual language.”
Photo: Donata Wenders
Works
Books
4 Real & True 2!: Landschaften, Photographien, Wenders, Wim. 4 Real & True 2!: Landschaften, Photographien. Schirmer/Mosel, 2015. ISBN: 3829606966
Die Pixel des Paul Cézanne: und andere Blicke auf Künstler, Wenders, Wim. Die Pixel des Paul Cézanne: und andere Blicke auf Künstler. Edited by Annette Reschke. 2015. ISBN: 3886613690
Written in the West. Revisited: Ueberarbeitete Neuauflage, Wenders, Wim. Written in the West. Revisited: Ueberarbeitete Neuauflage. Schirmer/Mosel, 2015. ISBN: 3829607091
Inventing Peace: A Dialogue on Perception, Wenders, Wim, and Mary Zournazi. Inventing Peace: A Dialogue on Perception. I.B. Tauris, 2013. ISBN: 1780766939
Places, Strange and Quiet, 2, Wenders, Wim. Places, Strange and Quiet, 2. Hatje Cantz, 2013. ISBN: 3775735135
The Film and the Dancers, Wenders, Wim. The Film and the Dancers. Schirmer/Mosel, 2012. ISBN: 3829606230
Places, strange and quiet, Wenders, Wim. Places, Strange and Quiet. Hatje Cantz, 2011. ISBN: 3775731482
Once: Pictures and Stories, Wenders, Wim. Once. Pictures and Stories. Schirmer/Mosel, 2010. ISBN: 1935202286
Journey to Onomichi, Wenders, Wim. Journey to Onomichi. Schirmer/Mosel, 2009. ISBN: 382960453X
Une Fois: Images et Histoires, Wenders, Wim. Une Fois: Images et Histoires. G3J, 2007. ISBN: 2952798311
Pictures from the Surface of the Earth, Wenders, Wim. Pictures from the Surface of the Earth. Schirmer/Mosel, 2006. ISBN: 3829602383
A Sense of Place, Wenders, Wim. A Sense of Place. 2005. ISBN: 3886612767
Bilder von der Oberfläche der Erde, Wenders, Wim. Bilder von der Oberfläche der Erde. Schirmer/Mosel, 2001. ISBN: 3829600100
On Film, Wenders, Wim. On Film. Translated by Michael Hofmann. Faber & Faber, 2001. ISBN: 0571207189
The Heart is a Sleeping Beauty: The Million Dollar Hotel, Wenders, Wim. The Heart is a Sleeping Beauty: The Million Dollar Hotel. Schirmer/Mosel, 2000. ISBN: 3888142539
My Time with Antonioni, Wenders, Wim. My Time with Antonioni. Translated by Michael Hofmann. Faber & Faber, 2000. ISBN: 0571200761
Buena Vista Social Club, Wenders, Wim. Buena Vista Social Club. Schirmer/Mosel, 1999. ISBN: 3888146119
The Act of Seeing, Wenders, Wim. The Act of Seeing. Translated by Michael Hofmann. Faber & Faber, 1997. ISBN: 057117843X
Wim Wenders: Photos, Wenders, Wim. Wim Wenders: Photos. Edition Braus, 1996. ISBN: 3894661607
Die Zeit mit Antonioni, Wenders, Wim. Die Zeit mit Antonioni. 1995. ISBN: 3886611620
Einmal, Bilder und Geschichten, Wenders, Wim. Einmal. Bilder und Geschichten. 1994. ISBN: 3886611515
Electronic Paintings, Wenders, Wim. Electronic Paintings. Edizioni Socrates, 1993. ISBN: 8872020018
Einstellungen, Wenders, Wim. Einstellungen. 1993.
Una Volta, Wenders, Wim. Una Volta. Edizioni Socrates, 1993. ISBN: 8872020026
The Act of Seeing, Wenders, Wim. The Act of Seeing. 1992. ISBN: 3886611248
The Logic of Images, Wenders, Wim. The Logic of Images. Faber & Faber, 1992. ISBN: 0571165176
Emotion Pictures, Wenders, Wim. Emotion Pictures. Faber & Faber, 1991. ISBN: 0571152724
Die Logik der Bilder, Wenders, Wim. Die Logik der Bilder. 1988. ISBN: 3886610942
Der Himmel über Berlin, Wenders, Wim, and Peter Handke. Der Himmel über Berlin. Ein Filmbuch. Suhrkamp, 1987. ISBN: 351802406X
Written in the West, Wenders, Wim. Written in the West. Schirmer/Mosel, 1987. ISBN: 3888142547
Emotion Pictures, Wenders, Wim. Emotion Pictures. 1986. ISBN: 3886610780
Films
The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez
The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez. Alfama Directed by Wim Wenders. Films, Neue Road Movies, 2016.
Every Thing Will Be Fine
Every Thing Will Be Fine. Directed by Wim Wenders Neue Road Movies, Hanway Films, 2014.
The Salt of the Earth
The Salt of the Earth. Directed by Wim Wenders. Decia Films, 2014.
Cathedrals of Culture
Cathedrals of Culture. Directed by Wim Wenders, Michael Glawogger, Michael Madsen, Robert Redford, Margreth Olin and Karim AïnouzNeue Road Movies, 2014.
Notes from a Day in the Life of an Architect (Peter Zumthor at work)
Wenders, Wim. Notes from a Day in the Life of an Architect (Peter Zumthor at work). 2012.
Pina
Pina. Directed by Wim Wenders. Warner Home, 2011. ASIN: B005AC9DJC.
Pina
Pina. Directed by Wim Wenders. Criterion Collection, 2011. ASIN: B009RWRIKM
If Buildings Could Talk
If Buildings Could Talk. Directed by Wim Wenders. 2010.
Palermo Shooting
Palermo Shooting. Directed by Wim Wenders. Universum Film, 2008. ASIN: B005C8R4T0
Palermo Shooting
Palermo Shooting. Directed by Wim Wenders. BIM, 2008. ASIN: B00274P926
“8”: Person to Person
“8”: Person to Person. Directed by Wim Wenders. 2008.
Los Invisibles: Invisible Crimes
Los Invisibles: Invisible Crimes. Directed by Wim Wenders. 2007.
War in Peace
War in Peace. Directed by Wim Wenders. 2007.
Don’t Come Knocking
Don’t Come Knocking. Directed by Wim Wenders. STUDIOCANAL, 2005. ASIN: B000EBCCOC.
Don’t Come Knocking
Don’t Come Knocking. Directed by Wim Wenders. Sony Pictures, 2005. ASIN: B000FUTVP0
Land of Plenty
Land of Plenty. Directed by Wim Wenders. STUDIOCANAL, 2004. ASIN: B000AFEJ7U.
Land of Plenty
Land of Plenty. Directed by Wim Wenders. Ifc, 2004. ASIN: B000HC2M20
The Soul of a Man
The Soul of a Man. Directed by Wim Wenders. PBS, 2003. ASIN: B00020X9BK
BAP – Viel Passiert
BAP – Viel Passiert. Directed by Wim Wenders. EMI Electrola, 2003. ASIN: B00008OES9.
Ten Minutes Older: Twelve Miles to Trona
Ten Minutes Older: Twelve Miles to Trona. Directed by Wim Wenders. 2002.
The Million Dollar Hotel
The Million Dollar Hotel. Directed by Wim Wenders. STUDIOCANAL, 2000. ASIN: B007V99FKY
The Million Dollar Hotel
The Million Dollar Hotel. Directed by Wim Wenders. Lions Gate, 2000. ASIN: B000059PQH
The Buena Vista Social Club
The Buena Vista Social Club. Directed by Wim Wenders. EuroVideo, 1998. ASIN: B00004RYZ1
The Buena Vista Social Club
The Buena Vista Social Club. Directed by Wim Wenders. Artisan, 1998. ASIN: B00002SWEM
Willie Nelson at the Teatro
Willie Nelson at the Teatro. Directed by Wim Wenders. 1998.
Am Ende der Gewalt
Am Ende der Gewalt. Directed by Wim Wenders. STUDIOCANAL, 1997. ASIN: B007V99F8G.
The End of Violence
The End of Violence. Directed by Wim Wenders. MGM, 1997. ASIN: 0792844009
Die Gebrüder Skladanowsky
Die Gebrüder Skladanowsky. Directed by Wim Wenders. STUDIOCANAL, 1996. ASIN: B000DZIE6Y
A Trick of Light
A Trick of Light. Directed by Wim Wenders. Anchor Bay, 1996. ASIN: B000OC2L7E
Jenseits der Wolken
Jenseits der Wolken. Wim Wenders and Michelangelo Antonioni. STUDIOCANAL, 1995. ASIN: B000A8R8ZC
Beyond the Clouds
Beyond the Clouds. Wim Wenders and Michelangelo Antonioni. Olive Films, 1995. ASIN: B00AOO5PXO
Lisbon Story
Lisbon Story. Directed by Wim Wenders. STUDIOCANAL, 1994. ASIN: B0007U5V5W
Lisbon Story
Lisbon Story. Directed by Wim Wenders. Lions Gate, 1994. ASIN: B000VKKV2G
In weiter Ferne
In weiter Ferne, so nah! Directed by Wim Wenders. STUDIOCANAL, 1993. ASIN: B000EMTGO0
Faraway, So Close!
Faraway, So Close! Directed by Wim Wenders. Sony Pictures, 1993. ASIN: B00004W4UC
Arisha, the Bear and the Stone Ring
Arisha, the Bear and the Stone Ring. Directed by Wim Wenders. 1992.
Bis ans Ende der Welt
Bis ans Ende der Welt. Directed by Wim Wenders. STUDIOCANAL, 1991. ASIN: B00080SK3G
Until the End of the World
Until the End of the World. Directed by Wim Wenders. Warner Brothers, 1991. ASIN: B0015FNHEU
Aufzeichnungen zu Kleidern und Städten
Aufzeichnungen zu Kleidern und Städten. Directed by Wim Wenders. STUDIOCANAL, 1989. ASIN: B004MP8LXW
Notebook on Cities and Clothes
Notebook on Cities and Clothes. Directed by Wim Wenders. Axiom Films International Ltd, 1989. ASIN: B0079C733Y
Der Himmel über Berlin
Der Himmel über Berlin. Directed by Wim Wenders. STUDIOCANAL, 1987. ASIN: B0007DIXA4
Wings of Desire
Wings of Desire. Directed by Wim Wenders. Criterion, 1987. ASIN: B002IVDLGY
Tokyo-Ga
Tokyo-Ga. Directed by Wim Wenders. STUDIOCANAL, 1985. ASIN: B000CD9X44
Tokyo-Ga
Tokyo-Ga. Directed by Wim Wenders. 1985. ASIN: B0079C733Y
Paris, Texas
Paris, Texas. Directed by Wim Wenders. STUDIOCANAL, 1984. ASIN: B0006JMKDU
Paris, Texas
Paris, Texas. Directed by Wim Wenders. 20th Century Fox, 1984. ASIN: B0002XL35G
Der Stand der Dinge
Der Stand der Dinge. Directed by Wim Wenders. STUDIOCANAL, 1982. ASIN: B0009KMHGG
The State of Things
The State of Things. Directed by Wim Wenders. Axiom Films International Ltd, 1982. ASIN: B001H4I5LO
Reverse Angle
Reverse Angle. Directed by Wim Wenders. 1982.
Chambre 666
Chambre 666. Directed by Wim Wenders. 1982.
Hammett
Hammett. Directed by Wim Wenders. STUDIOCANAL, 1982. ASIN: B005IL166S
Hammett
Hammett. Directed by Wim Wenders. Lionsgate, 1982. ASIN: B000AOEMYG
Nick’s Film – Lighting over Water
Nick’s Film – Lighting over Water. Directed by Wim Wenders. STUDIOCANAL, 1980. ASIN: B000BT59R4.
Nick’s Film – Lighting over Water
Nick’s Film – Lighting over Water. Directed by Wim Wenders. Starz / Anchor Bay, 1980. ASIN: B00006LPC8
Der Amerikanische Freund
Der Amerikanische Freund. Directed by Wim Wenders. STUDIOCANAL, 1977. ASIN: B000766XNA
The American Friend
The American Friend. Directed by Wim Wenders. Starz / Anchor Bay, 1977. ASIN: B00006LPC6.
Im Lauf der Zeit
Im Lauf der Zeit. Directed by Wim Wenders. STUDIOCANAL, 1976. ASIN: B000F2C6QO
Kings of the Road
Kings of the Road. Directed by Wim Wenders. Axiom Films International Ltd, 1976. ASIN: B0048VTT7M.
Falsche Bewegung
Falsche Bewegung. Directed by Wim Wenders. STUDIOCANAL, 1975. ASIN: B000F2C6QO
Wrong Move
Wrong Move. Directed by Wim Wenders. Axiom Films International Ltd, 1975. ASIN: B0019GJ4J2
Aus der Familie der Panzerechsen / Die Insel
Aus der Familie der Panzerechsen / Die Insel. Directed by Wim Wenders. 1974.
Alice in den Städten
Alice in den Städten. Directed by Wim Wenders. STUDIOCANAL, 1973. ASIN: B000V2SGNA
Alice in the Cities
Alice in the Cities. Directed by Wim Wenders. Axiom Films International Ltd, 1973. ASIN: B0014E916
Der scharlachrote Buchstabe
Der scharlachrote Buchstabe. Directed by Wim Wenders. STUDIOCANAL, 1972. ASIN: B0009I7KTW
The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter. Directed by Wim Wenders. Pacific Arts, 1972. ASIN: B000BY8IBS
Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter
Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter. Directed by Wim Wenders. Ufa/Atlas, 1971.
The Goalkeeper’s Fear of the Penalty
The Goalkeeper’s Fear of the Penalty. Directed by Wim Wenders. Ufa/Atlas, 1971. ASIN: B00004RPOO
Summer in the City
Summer in the City. Directed by Wim Wenders. Ufa/Atlas, 1970. ASIN: B00004RPOZ
Alabama: 2000 Light Years from Home
Alabama: 2000 Light Years from Home. Directed by Wim Wenders. 1969.
3 American LP’s
3 American LP’s. Directed by Wim Wenders. 1969.
Silver City
Silver City. Directed by Wim Wenders. 1968.
Polizeifilm
Polizeifilm. Directed by Wim Wenders. 1968.
Schauplätze
Schauplätze. Directed by Wim Wenders. 1967.
Same Player Shoots Again
Same Player Shoots Again. Directed by Wim Wenders. 1967
Exhibitions
Wim Wenders: Urban Solitude
Wenders, Wim. Wim Wenders: Urban Solitude. Palazzo Incontro, Rome, Italy. 2014.
Wim Wenders Photographs
Wenders, Wim. Wim Wenders Photographs. Fundació Sorigué, Lleida, Spain. 2013.
Places Strange and Quiet
Wenders, Wim. Places Strange and Quiet. Villa Pignatelli, Naples, Italy. 2013. Galerie OstLicht, Vienna, Austria. 2012. Deichtorhallen Falckenberg Collection, Hamburg, Germany. 2012. Haunch of Venison, London, England. 2011. MASP, São Paulo, Brasil. 2010.
Journey to Onomichi
Wenders, Wim. Journey to Onomichi. Céline and Heiner Bastian, Berlin, Germany. 2009. Omotesando Hills, Tokyo, Japan (with Donata Wenders). 2006.
Picture from the Surface of the Earth
Wenders, Wim. Picture from the Surface of the Earth. Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow, Russia. 2006. Scuderie del Quirinale, Rome, Italy. 2006. Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Aarhus, Denmark. 2004. James Cohan Gallery, New York, USA. 2004. Millennium Art Museum, Beijing, China. 2004. Shanghai Museum of Art, Shanghai, China. 2004. Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou, China. 2004. Haunch of Venison, London, England. 2003. Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia. 2003. City Art Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand. 2003. Juerg Judin, Zurich, Switzerland. 2003. Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain. 2002. Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, Germany. 2001.
Buena Vista Social Club
Wenders, Wim. Buena Vista Social Club. Rose Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, USA. 2000.
Wim Wenders: Landscape and Memory
Wenders, Wim. Wim Wenders: Landscape and Memory. Gallery of Contemporary Photography, Santa Monica, USA. 1996.
Wim Wenders: Photos
Wenders, Wim. Wim Wenders: Photos. held at Goethe Institutes worldwide. 1996.
ONCE – Photographs by Wim Wenders
Wenders, Wim. ONCE – Photographs by Wim Wenders. Villa Rufolo, Ravello, Italy. 1995. FNAC, Berlin, Germany. 1995. Parco, Tokyo, Japan. 1994. FNAC, Paris, France. 1994. Villa delle Rose, Bologna, Italy. 1994. Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome, Italy. 1993.
Wim Wenders: Photographs
Wenders, Wim. Wim Wenders: Photographs. San Telmo Museum, San Sebastian, Spain. 1994. Sala Parpallo Palau Dels Scala, Valencia, Spain. 1994. Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek, Denmark. 1993. La Biennale die Venezia “Slittamenti”, Venice, Italy. 1993. “Robert Adams – Wim Wenders”, Amerika Haus, Berlin, Germany. 1992. Musée de l’Elysee, Lausanne, Switzerland. 1992. Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto, Japan. 1992.Shibuya Seibu Dept. Store, Tokyo, Japan. 1992. Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles, USA. 1991. Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film, Munich, Germany. 1991. “Robert Adams – Wim Wenders”, Galerie Marie Louise Wirth, Zurich, Switzerland. 1990. PPS. Galerie F.C. Gundlach, Hamburg, Germany. 1989.
Written in the West
Wenders, Wim. Written in the West. Städtische Galerie Schwarzes Kloster, Freiburg, Germany. 1992. Saint-Yrieix-La-Perche, France. 1990. Goethe Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark. 1988. Goethe Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. 1998.Film Society of Miami, Miami, USA. 1988. Palazzo della Triennale di Milano, Milan, Italy. 1988. Encontros de Fotografia, Coimbra, Portugal. 1987. Centre Pompidou, Paris, France. 1986.