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 of activities will open on May 17 with "Texas Paris" 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 1970s 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.
Paris, Texas
"The End of the World" – The title of the 1993 film may describe how Chinese film fans feel about Wenders' work. In China, neither many fans nor passionate photography enthusiasts have ever had a face-to-face encounter with Wenders, but many of his films — from Paris, Texas to Pina — have left a deep imprint on 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 memorable stories. Although these stories come from different places, Chinese audiences can still understand and empathize.
In the framework of this special review of the film, the German Cultural Center Goethe-Institut (China) and the China Film Archive will present 21 films by Mr. Wenders and hold 41 screenings to introduce the whole picture of Wenders' filmmaking: from his short films to critical reality works focusing on West Germany in the 1970s, from exemplary road films and modern fairy tales to extensive documentary films – most of these works are based on the process of artistic creation and the exploration of image creation.
Wenders Film Feature Review
Film screenings
Shoot Again (1967)
Silver City (1968)
The Anxiety of a Goalkeeper In The Face of a Penalty (1971)
Alice in the City (1973/74)
Wrong Move (1975)
King of Highways (1975)
Left-handed Women (1977)
American Friend (1976/77)
The state of things (1981/82)
Reverse Angle (1982)
Paris, Texas (1983/84)
In Search of Ozu (1985)
Urban Fashion Shorthand (1989)
Under the Berlin Sky (1986/87)
The End of the World (1992/93)
The Story of Lisbon (1994/95)
Phantom of Light (1996)
Les Fusheng (1998/99)
Lost Angel City (2003/04)
Pina (2009-11)
Salt of the Earth (2014)
Mr. Wenders will be present at the after-screening of "Paris, Texas" (opening film, May 17), "Pina" (May 19), "In Search of Ozu" (May 20) and "Under the Berlin Sky" (May 21), speaking with Chinese directors Zhang Yang and Mei Feng, as well as film scholars Dai Jinhua and Li Yang respectively. At the MasterClass event on May 18, Wenders will open his world to Chinese film fans about his work and life. The event was hosted by Sha Dan, program planner of the China Film Archive, and Xu Feng, professor of the Central Academy of Drama. In addition, Mr. Wenders will hold a lecture on May 19 to introduce the archiving and restoration of his films by the Wenders Foundation, which was established in 2012, and to exchange views with relevant experts from the China Film Archive.
The Wenders Film Review Series is co-curated by the German Cultural Centre Goethe-Institut China in Beijing and the China Film Archive, with the support of the Wenders Foundation.
Details of the film content and concurrent events will be announced in the near future push. You can also click "Read the Original Article" to download the "Wenders Film Thematic Review Activity Handbook" to find out immediately.
About Wim Wenders
Wim Wenders, © Donata Wenders
Wim Wenders (b. 1945) is internationally renowned as a pioneer of the "New German Cinema" of the seventies, and he 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 and his wife, Donata M. Wenders lives and works in Berlin.
Wim Wenders traveled to Paris in 1966 to study painting, having previously studied medicine and philosophy. He studied in the studio of graphic designer and copper plate engraver Johnny Friedland, and his afternoons and evenings were spent at the French Film Archive. This "crash course in the history of cinema" became a very important educational period for Wenders, who began to think about how to "continue painting with other creative means", and film was one of the possibilities.
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. After graduating from university in 1971, he co-founded the Writers Film Publishing House, a German film distribution company that combines film production, copyright management and film distribution. While studying at university, he completed his first film, 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), in which he explored the protagonist's sense of wandering in postwar 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 Sky (1987) for Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival, and The Million Dollar Hotel (2000) with the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. 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 new story film "Everything Will Be Okay" was also shortlisted for the main competition section of the festival. In 2018, three of his films premiered simultaneously: a restored version of Under the Berlin Sky, based on the work of 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 his 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
Since 1986, Wenders' photographs have been exhibited in museums and galleries around the world, including: Georges Pompidou National Centre for Arts and Culture in Paris (1986), Museum of Contemporary Art at Hamburger Gare in Berlin (2001), Gugenheim Museum Bilbao (2002), Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney (2003), Shanghai Art Museum (2004), Museo Qurinale in Rome (2006), Museu arte São Paulo (2010), The Museum of The Dam Gate In Hamburg (2012), the Museum of Multimedia Art in Moscow (2012), the Fondation Lleida Sorig, Spain (2013), Villa Piniateri napoli (2013), the Gl Strand Museum in Copenhagen (2014) and Villa Varezkolezion Panza (2015). In 2015, the Kunsthalle Museum Foundation in Düsseldorf exhibited a comprehensive retrospective exhibition of its photographs.
In October 2017, the London Photographer Gallery held its first series of exhibitions of Works by Wim Wenderspoline, which was subsequently presented at the c/o Foundation berlin (July-September 2018). Since 1984, Wenders has been a member of the Berlin Academy of Arts, and he 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 talents seeking innovation in the art of cinematic narrative in many ways, in particular through the Wim Schwarzkopf of the Film and Media Foundation of North Rhine-Westphalia. The Wenders Scholarship Program is realized.
Screenings and Event Schedule
* Language of dialogue activities: Chinese and English, with translator
Address and ticket purchase
China Film Archive
No. 3 Tiantianhuiyuan Road, Xiaoxi, Haidian District, Beijing
Price: 50 - 80 yuan
Ticketing platform: Taobao ticket app
(Tickets will be issued on time at 12:00 on May 7)
The "Wenders Film Review" series of events is co-organized by the German Cultural Center Goethe-Institut (China) and the China Film Archive, with the support of the Wenders Foundation. Click "Read the original article" to visit the official page of the event to learn more about the "Wenders Film Review" series of events.
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