Wim Wenders facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wim Wenders
Wenders in 2024
Born	Ernst Wilhelm Wenders (1945-08-14) 14 August 1945 (age 79) Düsseldorf, Germany
Occupation	Film director screenwriter producer photographer author
Years active	1967–present
Spouse(s)	Donata Wenders (m. 1993)
Awards	Full list

Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (born 14 August 1945) is a famous German filmmaker and writer. He is a very important person in the New German Cinema movement. Wim Wenders has won many awards from major film festivals like Cannes, Venice, and Berlin. He has also received a BAFTA Award and been nominated for three Academy Awards.

Wenders made his first full-length movie, Summer in the City, in 1970. He became well-known for directing films like Alice in the Cities (1974), The Wrong Move (1975), and Kings of the Road (1976). These three films are often called his Road Movie trilogy.

He won the BAFTA Award for Best Direction and the top prize, the Palme d'Or, for his film Paris, Texas (1984). He also won the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival for Wings of Desire (1987). Other notable films he directed include The American Friend (1977) and Perfect Days (2023).

Wenders has been nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. These nominations were for Buena Vista Social Club (1999), Pina (2011), and The Salt of the Earth (2014). He is also known for directing documentaries like Tokyo-Ga (1985) and Pope Francis: A Man of His Word (2018).

Wim Wenders was the president of the European Film Academy from 1996 to 2020. He also received an Honorary Golden Bear award in 2015. Besides filmmaking, he is a talented photographer, often taking pictures of empty landscapes. He is considered an auteur director, meaning he has a very distinct personal style.

Early Life and Education

Wim Wenders was born in Düsseldorf, Germany. His family was Catholic. His father, Heinrich Wenders, was a surgeon. The name "Wim" is a shorter version of his birth name, "Wilhelm".

As a boy, Wenders often traveled alone to Amsterdam to visit the Rijksmuseum. He finished high school in Oberhausen. After that, he studied medicine and philosophy at different universities. However, he decided to stop his studies and moved to Paris in 1966. He wanted to become a painter.

He tried to get into France's national film school, IDHEC, but he didn't pass the entry test. Instead, he worked as an engraver. During this time, he became very interested in movies. He would watch up to five movies a day!

In 1967, Wenders returned to Germany. He started working at the United Artists office in Düsseldorf. Later that year, he began studying at the University of Television and Film Munich (HFF). While studying, he also wrote film reviews for newspapers and magazines.

Wenders made several short films before finishing his studies. His graduation project was a black-and-white film called Summer in the City (1970). This was his first feature film as a director.

Film Career

Early Films and the Road Movie Trilogy (1970-1976)

Wenders's career started in the late 1960s, during a time known as the New German Cinema era. Many of his films have a special look because of his long work with cinematographer Robby Müller.

His first feature film, Summer in the City (1970), was his graduation project. It was shot in black-and-white. This movie showed many themes that Wenders would explore later, like searching for something, running from problems, and traveling without a clear destination.

After that, Wenders directed The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty, based on a short novel. He also directed The Scarlet Letter (1973), a period drama.

From 1974 to 1976, Wenders directed his famous Road Movie trilogy.

• The first film was Alice in the Cities (1974).
• The next two films were The Wrong Move (1975) and Kings of the Road (1976).

Kings of the Road won an award at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival.

Breakthrough and Major Success (1977-1987)

Wenders with Carrie Fisher in 1978

In 1977, Wenders became more widely known for directing The American Friend. This film starred Dennis Hopper and Bruno Ganz. It was based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith. Critics compared it to other important films of the time, noting its moody and artistic style.

Wenders received great praise for his road drama Paris, Texas (1984). The film starred Harry Dean Stanton and Nastassja Kinski. It premiered at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival and won the top prize, the Palme d'Or. Film critic Roger Ebert called it "true, deep, and brilliant."

Next, Wenders directed the fantasy film Wings of Desire (1987), starring Bruno Ganz and Peter Falk. This film also premiered at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival. Wenders won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director for it. Many critics considered Wings of Desire one of the best films of that year.

Later Works and Documentaries (1991-Present)

Wim Wenders at Cannes in 2002

In 1991, Wenders directed the science fiction adventure Until the End of the World. This film has different versions, some much longer than others. In 1993, he directed Faraway, So Close!, which was a sequel to Wings of Desire. Many of the original actors returned for this film. It also won an award at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.

Wenders has directed several highly praised documentaries.

• Willie Nelson at the Teatro (1998) was about the recording sessions of musician Willie Nelson.
• Buena Vista Social Club (1999) was about Cuban music. This film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Wenders in 2008

In 2011, Wenders directed the 3-D dance film Pina. He had admired the dance choreographer Pina Bausch for a long time. He felt that digital 3-D technology finally allowed him to capture her work on screen properly. Pina was also nominated for an Academy Award.

Another important documentary is The Salt of the Earth (2014), which he co-directed. In 2018, he directed Pope Francis: A Man of His Word. Wenders has said that this film about Pope Francis is his favorite movie. He feels that his whole career led up to making it.

Wenders with wife Donata at Berlinale 2017

Wenders also directed Anselm in 2023. He has also directed music videos for bands like U2 and Talking Heads.

Photography

Wim Wenders is also a well-known photographer. He often takes pictures of empty landscapes. His photos explore themes like memory, time, and travel.

He started a long-term photography project called "Pictures from the Surface of the Earth" in the early 1980s. This project lasted for 20 years. His first photo series for this project was called "Written in the West." He took these pictures while traveling across the American West for his film Paris, Texas. This led him to travel all over the world, taking photos that capture the feeling of a place or moment.

Personal Life

Wim Wenders lives and works in Berlin with his wife, Donata. He has lived in Berlin since the mid-1970s. He is a Christian. As a teenager, he once wanted to become a Catholic priest. He is also a fan of the German football club Borussia Dortmund.

Filmography

Feature Films

Documentary Films

Awards and Recognition

Wim Wenders has received many important awards throughout his career:

• Golden Lion for The State of Things at the Venice Film Festival (1982).
• Palme d'Or at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival for Paris, Texas.
• Best Director for Wings of Desire at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival.
• Bavarian Film Awards for Best Director for Faraway, So Close! (1993).
• Master of Cinema Award at the International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg (2004).
• Leopard of Honour at the Locarno International Film Festival (2005).
• His film Pina was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature (2012).
• He received an Honorary Golden Bear at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival (2015).
• He received the Douglas Sirk Award at the Hamburg Film Festival (2017).

He has also received honorary doctorates from universities in Paris, Fribourg (Switzerland), and Louvain (Belgium).

The Wim Wenders Foundation was started in Düsseldorf in 2012. This foundation helps to keep his films, photos, art, and writings together in his home country. It also makes them available for the public to see.

Images for kids

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  Wenders with Carrie Fisher in 1978

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  Wim Wenders at Cannes in 2002

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  Wenders in 2008

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  Wenders with wife Donata at Berlinale 2017