He originally wanted to be a priest, a doctor, or a painter. But his love for movies far exceeded everything, and he became a film director. He is Wim Wenders, who won the Honorary Golden Bear at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival for his life's work.
2005 "Don't Knock on the Door" work photos
A young German photojournalist crossed the United States alone. He drove his car across the highway, passing one huge billboard after another and gas stations. The man's name was Philip Winter, and he was going to write a story about the American landscape, but he couldn't write about it.
Stills from 1974 Alice in the City
After putting together photos of different locations, he was helpless to find that the photos did not show what he really saw. This is the scene from Wenders' film Alice in den Städten (1974). The film tells the story of the protagonist who travels from the south of the United States to Munich and finally finds himself.
This questioning of the image itself in the increasingly reinforcing world of images is a major feature of Wenders' films, and his works are always full of poetic and connotative pictures. His films mostly use long and gentle shot scheduling and careful editing, so the audience must be very attentive to watch his films.
1974 "Alice in the City" set photo
Born in 1974, Alice's Journey to the City is Wim Wenders' fourth film. It was only after the film that he really confirmed himself as a director, and since then he has made more than 50 feature films and documentaries.
Wim Wenders, © Donata Wenders
Innovator of German cinema
Wenders once said, "I am a person who perceives by images. Born in 1945 to a family of doctors in Düsseldorf, Wenders did not have a natural passion for making movies, but wanted to be a priest. Before going to Paris in 1965 to study fine arts, Wenders also tried to make a career in medicine, philosophy and sociology.
1987 "Under the Berlin Sky" work photo
In 1967, he came to the newly founded Munich Academy of Television and Film. In order to be able to produce his own film and release it, Wim Wenders co-founded the Writers Film Press with 12 directors after completing his graduation work Summer in The City (1971).
2005 "Don't Knock on the Door" set photos
At that time, the young writers and directors in Munich, in addition to Wim Wenders, but also Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Werner Herzog, and Volker Schlöndorff, not only wanted to distance themselves from the popular entertainment films of the time, but also tried to explore their own film language.
From left to right: Fassbinder, Herzog, Wenders
They agreed with each other on the social and political issues of the Federal Republic of Germany at that time, as well as on the history of the Nazis, and adopted a critical and questioning attitude. Also associated with this is the identity of the individual, which is a subject that Wenders constantly explores.
1985 In Search of Ozu, Wenders and Herzog
The protagonists of Wenders' early works were young men who, after being frustrated, turned to seek their hearts. They do not accept the idea of life of the citizen class, but they cannot find an alternative solution.
Stills from 1976 The King of the Highway
After the success of the road movies Alice in the City and Im Lauf der Zeit (1976), Wenders made a breakthrough in Der amerikanische Freund (1977), based on the novels of the American writer Patricia Highsmith, and really went global.
Stills from 1977 American Friends
Later, American director Francis Ford Coppola brought Wenders to Hollywood as a director for a film about detective fiction writer Dashiell Hammett. But the filming of this film was a fiasco for him.
Germans in the United States
For Wenders, as he himself once put it, America was "a country of unthinkable freedom and generosity that made me ashamed of my german homeland."
1999 "Le Shi Fu Sheng" working photo
Wenders's work continues to use this theme as a theme, exploring the influence of American mythology and popular culture on his generation. This influence can be found in Wenders films, through panoramic shots of scenery and glimpses of the characters casting at this empty landscape, as the American painter Edward Hopper often shows in his work.
Stills from 1982 The State of Things
Still, his relationship with the United States is tangled. When Wenders was directing the Hollywood film Hammett (1982), he began to deal directly with the American film industry: the director, who had always admired independence, had to constantly reshoot and edit according to the producer's wishes.
Stills from 1982 Hammet
Wenders interpreted his experience in the film Der Stand der Dinge (1982), in which the film's protagonist, a German director, was shot dead in Hollywood.
Still, Wenders lived in Los Angeles and New York for more than 10 years. During this time, he went on to achieve great success in film: Paris, Texas (1984), a road movie based on a screenplay by Sam Shepard, is an eternal story of loneliness, love, and self-searching.
Stills from 1984 Paris, Texas
After returning to Germany, Wenders filmed Der Himmel über Berlin (Under the Berlin Sky) in 1987, a film that looked at the divided city from an angelic perspective, and his film was once again a huge success.
Wenders presents words, sounds, and everyday impressions in the form of collages in this film, and uses poetic, meaningful dialogue to make the film collage more three-dimensional. These dialogues originated from the pen of Wenders' friend, the famous literary scholar Peter Handke.
Stills from 1987 "Under the Berlin Sky"
The film "Paris, Texas" won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, while "Under the Berlin Sky" won the best director in Cannes. Needless to say, both works are classics in cinema.
However, Wenders was unable to continue his glory in the 90s, and often encountered adversity. For example, his ambitious science fiction film Bis ans Ende der Welt (1991) was met with snubbed by critics and audiences alike. The work was criticized as arrogant and conceited, self-referential, and seen by the industry as an outdated writer's film.
Stills from 1991 "Until the End of the World"
Director, cinematographer, essayist
But Wenders was not moved by the criticism, but continued to shoot his films in his own unique, thoughtful and curious way. In addition to feature films, Wenders has produced documentaries on film, fashion, music, architecture and dance.
The song and dance documentary Pina (2011) tells the story of Pina Bausch, a ballet action designer in Wuppertal, Germany. In this film, Wenders uses 3D technology to show the dancer's body.
Stills from 2011 Pina
Like the previous music documentaries Buena Vista Social Club (1999) and Salt of the Earth, the documentary managed to receive an Oscar nomination.
2011 "Pina" set photos
Throughout his career, Wenders has won all the major film awards, in addition to his co-founding of the European Film Institute, where he served as dean. He is also a renowned lecturer, essayist and photographer.
"Everything Will Be Fine" tells the story of a writer in crisis in his life, which had its world premiere at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival.
Stills from 2015 "Everything Will Be Fine"
Wenders turned 70 that year, but he never wanted to retire. He said in an interview: "I admit I'm a workaholic. I can't separate my work from my life. ”
The author | Kirsten Taylor; Translation: Qi Xin
The starting | Goethe-Institut; please indicate the source for reproduction
From 17 May to 30 June 2019, the German Cultural Centre Goethe-Institut China in Beijing and the China Film Archive, with the support of the Wenders Foundation, co-hosted Mr. Wenders' first large-scale film review event in China.
The 21 films will systematically introduce different aspects and important components of the World of Wenders cinema. Mr. Wenders himself was invited to China for the first time to present his work to Chinese audiences and to engage in dialogue with Chinese filmmakers and experts.
The "Wenders Film Review" series will open on May 17 with "Paris, Texas" at the China Film Archive, and Mr. Wenders will be present at the scene.
Wim Wenders, 2015, © Peter M. Lindbergh
Wim Wenders (b. 1945) is internationally renowned as a pioneer of the "New German Cinema" of the seventies and is considered one of the most important figures in contemporary German cinema. In addition to his award-winning feature films, he has created numerous innovative documentaries as a screenwriter, director, producer, cinematographer and writer, hosting photography exhibitions around the world and publishing numerous monographs, film books and anthologies. He lives and works in Berlin with his wife, Donata Wenders.
The title of the 1993 film may describe how Chinese film fans feel about Wenders' work. In China, so far, neither many film fans nor enthusiastic photography enthusiasts have ever had the opportunity to meet Wenders face-to-face.
But many of his films — from "Paris, Texas" to "Pina" — have left a deep imprint on the hearts of Chinese filmmakers and film lovers, influencing the way they "see."
Audiences are deeply touched by the images in Wenders' films, which, combined with the unique power of Wenders' work, tell unforgettable stories. Although these stories come from different places, Chinese audiences can still understand and empathize.
A total of 21 of Wenders' films will be screened in this large-scale film review, with 41 screenings to introduce the whole picture of Wenders' filmmaking: from his short films to critical realism focusing on West Germany in the 1970s, from exemplary road films and modern fairy tales to extensive documentaries – most of which focus on the process of artistic creation and the exploration of video creation.
Wenders Film Features Screenings
Shoot Again (1967)
Silver City (1968)
The Anxiety of a Goalkeeper In The Face of a Penalty (1971)
Alice in the City (1974)
Wrong Move (1975)
King of Highways (1975)
Left-handed Women (1977)
American Friend (1977)
The State of Things (1982)
Reverse Angle (1982)
Paris, Texas (1984)
In Search of Ozu (1985)
Urban Fashion Shorthand (1989)
Under the Berlin Sky (1987)
The End of the World (1993)
The Story of Lisbon (1995)
Phantom of Light (1996)
Les Fusheng (1999)
Lost Angel City (2004)
Pina (2011)
Salt of the Earth (2014)
About Wim Wenders
Wim Wenders, © Donata Wenders
Wenders began his career as a filmmaker in 1967, when he applied to the newly founded Munich University of Television and Film. While studying at the school, he also worked as a film critic from 1967 to 1970. During this period he had directed several short films.
In addition to his university studies, he completed his first film work, The Goalkeeper's Anxiety in the Face of Penalties (1971), followed by the road trilogy Alice in the City (1973), The Wrong Move (1974) and The King of the Highway (1975), which explored the protagonist's sense of wandering in post-war Germany.
With American Friends (1977), he made an international breakthrough. Since then, Wenders has worked in Europe, the United States, Latin America and Asia, where he has won numerous awards: The State of Things (1982) and the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, Paris, Texas (1984) with the Palme d'Or and the British Academy Film Award, Under the Berlin Firmament (1987) for Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival, and The Million Dollar Hotel (2000) with the Berlin International Film Festival Silver Bear.
1987 "Under the Berlin Sky" set photo
His documentaries Les Fusheng (1999), Pina (2011) and Salt of the Earth (2014) were all nominated for An Oscar. During the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival, Wenders was awarded the "Honorary Golden Bear" in recognition of his lifetime achievements. His feature film "Everything Will Be All Right" was also shortlisted for the festival's main competition section.
In 2018, three of his films premiered simultaneously: a restored version of Under the Berlin Sky, based on the novel by Jonathan M. M · Lagarde is based on the bestseller of the same name, and is directed by Oscar winner Alicia Lagarde. Vikander and James McAvoy starred in "Drowning", and the documentary about the Pope, Pope Francis: The Man Who Walks The Talk.
In addition to filmmaking, the medium of photography accompanied and complemented Wenders's artistic creation from the outset. The photographic series Notes from the West was the starting point for Wenders' independent photography, born out of a journey through the American West in preparation for the filming of Paris, Texas (1984).
His second major photography exhibition, Drawings on the Earth's Surface, directed Wenders to australia, Cuba, Israel, Armenia and Japan – always on the lookout for images that captured the essence of a place.
Wim Wenders, 2004, © Donata Wenders
In October 2017, the London Photographers Gallery held the first series of exhibitions of Wim Wenderspolines, which were subsequently presented at the C/O Foundation berlin (July-September 2018). Wenders has been a member of the Berlin Academy of Arts since 1984 and has also received honorary doctorate titles from the Sorbonne University in Paris (1989), the Faculty of Theology at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland (1995), the University of Leuven in Belgium (2005) and the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Catania in Italy (2010). He was a professor at the Hamburg University of the Arts until 2017. Wim Wenders was awarded the German Medal of Merit and has been President of the European Film Institute since 1996.
Wenders and Salgado, © Donata Wenders
In the fall of 2012, Wim Wenders and his wife Donata founded the Wim Wenders Foundation in Düsseldorf. Within the framework of the Foundation, Wim Wenders' films, photographs and literary works will be uniformly managed and protected and continuously introduced to the public through presentation, dissemination and academic research. In addition, in the filmmaker's birthplace, the Foundation supports young talent in all its aspects in pursuit of innovation in the field of cinematic narrative art, in particular through the Wim Schwarzenegger of the Film and Media Foundation of North Rhine-Westphalia. The Wenders Scholarship Program is realized.