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		Source: DIF

		Wim Wenders (2004)

Wim Wenders, born August 14, 1945, in Düsseldorf, as the son of a physician, made his secondary school exam in Oberhausen and then studied medicine and philosophy in Munich, Freiburg, and Düsseldorf for four semesters. In 1966/67, the student and movie buff made his first short film, "Schauplätze". Wenders then went to Paris for one year where he applied in vain for the renowned film school IDHEC. But he had more success in Munich where he was accepted at Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film and started to study in 1968 (since 1993, Wenders is a professor at HFF). He already made several short films during his studies and worked as a writer for film and rock music for the well-known journal "Filmkritik", for Süddeutsche Zeitung, and for the magazine "Twen".

In 1971, Wenders finished his first feature-length film, "Summer in the City", as his graduation film for HFF. In the same year, he founded the cooperative "Filmverlag der Autoren" together with twelve other filmmakers to support the production and distribution of New German Films. In 1971, Wenders finished "Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter" (The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty"), and thus continued his collaboration with Peter Handke, a collaboration that had begun in 1969 with the short film "3 Amerikanische LP's" ("3 American LPs"). Two years later, Wenders made his artistic breakthrough with the highly-praised road movie "Alice in den Städten" ("Alice in the Cities"). In the film, like in most of his later feature films, Wenders presented his protagonists as introspective escapists whose only personal resorts are random travels, pop music, or melancholic idleness.

In "Alice in den Städten", that won the award of German film critics in 1974, Rüdiger Vogler played the seeker in quintessential Wenders style. In "Falsche Bewegung" ("The Wrong Move", 1974/75), based on the screenplay by Handke and motives by Goethe, Vogler played Wilhelm Meister who starts on a journey across West Germany from the North Sea to the Zugspitze mountain.

In 1975/76, Wenders finished "Im Lauf der Zeit" ("Kings of the Road") without a definitive screenplay: The journey of two men (Vogler and Hanns Zischler) along the inter-German border bemoans the closing of movie theatres in the province and at the same time reflects the social atmosphere of the mid-1970s in West Germany. "Der amerikanische Freund" ("The American Friend", 1976/77), based on a novel from Patricia Highsmith's "Ripley" series, draw the interest of Francis Ford Coppola who then offered Wenders at the end of 1977 to direct the film noir homage "Hammett". Several screenplay versions, the search for the right leading actor, and disagreements about the film's ending delayed and interrupted the shooting. Thus, the film did not premiere until 1982 when it was shown in Cannes – but did not became a success.

During the breaks in the production of "Hammett", Wenders finished "Der Stand der Dinge" ("The State of Things", 1981/82) in Lisbon: The poetic feature film about the problems of a film crew won the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival. "Paris, Texas", made in 1983/84 as a German-French co-production in the USA, reflected the relation between the old and the new world, a relation pivotal for Wenders, already in its title. Until then, "Paris, Texas" was his most accessible film and some critics still view it as his best film until today – the road movie about a man who is looking for his family in the Texan province won the Golden Palm at Cannes film festival and became an international success with movie goers and critics alike. At the same time, Wender withdrew from Filmverlag der Autoren because of disputes about the concept of film distribution.

Between his feature film projects, Wenders time and again turned to personal film essays that were mostly dedicated to artists worshipped by Wenders, for instance "Nick's Film" ("Lightning Over Water", 1979/80) about the dying of Nicholas Ray or "Tôkyô-ga" (1983/85) about Yasujiro Ozu. Wenders also worked as a producer, actor, cinematographer, or assistant director for several other projects. Since 1974, he operates his own production company Wim Wenders-Produktion, and in 1976, he set up the production company Road Movies Filmproduktion GmbH that he administers with several changing business partners.

After "Paris, Texas", his next feature film, "Der Himmel über Berlin" ("Wings of Desire"), also became a huge success with critics and movie goers alike and soon developed into a kind of "Berlin cult movie". The poetic angel allegory in the divided city premiered at the 1987 Cannes film festival and won Wenders the award of "Best director". Inspired by this huge success, Wenders took to his science fiction poem "Bis ans Ende der Welt" ("Until the End of the World", 1990/91) that he had been planning for over a decade – but the global, overlong road movie fell short of his own, extremely high expectations.

In 1989, the Sorbonne university in Paris appointed Wenders as an honorary doctor of theology; later he became a member of Berlin's Akademie der Künste and the chairman of the European Film Academy. In 1990, he received the Federal Cross of Merit, and in 1991 Wenders won the Murnau award. He returned to the Berlin of angels with "In weiter Ferne so nah" ("Faraway, So Close!", 1992/93), and also to the Lisbon of failed movie projects with "Lisbon Story" (1994/95). Wenders then went to the USA to film "The End of Violence" (1997) before he followed his old companion Ry Cooder, who made the music for "Paris, Texas" and "The End of Violence", to Cuba where he finished "Buena Vista Social Club" (1998), a video documentary about the old men of the Son Cubano – the film became an overwhelming world-wide success and ushered in a revival of the Cuban "Son" music.

Wenders finished his next feature film again in the USA: "The Million Dollar Hotel" (1999), with Mel Gibson as producer and leading actor, won a Silver Bear at the 2000 Berlinale but prompted mixed reactions from critics and movie goers. Wenders then made the documentary film essay "Viel passiert – Der BAP Film" ("Ode to Cologne: A Rock'n'Roll Film", 2000-2002), the TV documentary film "The Blues: The Soul of a Man" (2003), and "Land of Plenty" (2004), a film about America that criticizes the country's media system. Wenders again won a lot of critical praise for his next feature film, "Don't Come Knocking", a road movie in the tradition of "Paris, Texas", about an aging Western star who starts to search for his daughter. The film premiered at the 2005 Cannes film festival and won the 2005 European Film Award in the category "Best Cinematography".

In 2008 Wim Wenders returned to the screen with his existentialistic drama "Palermo Shooting" featuring "Campino" Andreas Frege as a star photographer going through a serious crisis who meets death himself, played by Dennis Hopper.

	( Ernst Wilhelm Wenders ) *14.08.1945 Düsseldorf

	2010

	Fünf Wege zu Dario Consultancy



	2009/2010

	Au revoir Taipei Producer



	2009

	Pina Screenplay,Director



	2007/2008

	Auge in Auge - Eine deutsche Filmgeschichte Participation



	2007/2008

	Palermo Shooting Producer,Screenplay,Director



	2006

	Die Kunst des Fußballs Participation



	2006-2008

	Gegenschuss - Aufbruch der Filmemacher Participation



	2006/2007

	Los Invisibles Screenplay,Director



	2005/2006

	The House is Burning Executive producer



	2005-2007

	Von einem der auszog - Wim Wenders' frühe Jahre Participation



	2004/2005

	Don't Come Knocking based on,Director,Executive producer



	2004

	Edgar G. Ulmer. Der Mann im Off Participation



	2004

	Himmelfilm Participation



	2004

	Land of Plenty Story,Director,Screenplay



	2003/2004

	Egoshooter Producer



	2003/2004

	Musica Cubana Executive producer



	2002/2003

	Fassbinder in Hollywood Participation



	2002/2003

	Narren Producer



	2001/2002

	1/2 Miete Producer



	2001-2003

	Dennis Hopper - spiel (oder stirb) Participation



	2001/2002

	Junimond Producer



	2001

	Mounted By the Gods Producer



	2001/2002

	Ten Minutes Older - The Trumpet Screenplay,Producer,Director,Cast



	2001-2003

	The Soul of a Man Screenplay,Director



	2000

	Bernd Eichinger. Wenn das Leben zum Kino wird Participation



	2000-2002

	Viel passiert - Der BAP Film Screenplay,Director



	1999/2000

	The Million Dollar Hotel Producer,Director



	1998/1999

	Buena Vista Social Club Director



	1998/1999

	Nina Hagen = Punk + Glory Participation



	1997

	Tango Berlin Cast



	1996/1997

	Am Ende der Gewalt Producer,Story,Director



	1996/1997

	Go For Gold! Screenplay,Producer



	1994

	Die Nacht der Regisseure Participation



	1994

	Heinz Rühmann. Kleiner Mann ganz groß Cast



	1994/1995

	Jenseits der Wolken Producer,Director,Still photography,Screenplay



	1994/1995

	Lisbon Story Screenplay,Director



	1993-1996

	Die Gebrüder Skladanowsky Producer,Participation,Director,Screenplay,Interviews,Cast



	1993

	Ohne mich Cast



	1993

	Peter Przygodda, Schnittmeister Participation



	1992

	Arisha, der Bär und der steinerne Ring Director,Producer,Screenplay,Cast



	1992

	Die Abwesenheit Co-Producer



	1992/1993

	In weiter Ferne, so nah! Screenplay,Producer,Director



	1991

	Schneeweissrosenrot Participation



	1990/1991

	Bis ans Ende der Welt Producer,based on,Director,Screenplay



	1990

	Red Hot & Blue Director,Screenplay



	1990

	Red Hot & Blue. EP 17: Night and Day Director,Screenplay



	1988/1989

	Aufzeichnungen zu Kleidern und Städten Producer,Interviews,Assistant camera,Commentary,Participation,Director,Screenplay



	1988/1989

	Hare To Ke - Das Besondere und der Alltag. Begegnung mit der Ogawa Produktion Producer



	1987/1988

	Eisenerde Kupferhimmel Producer



	1987

	Helsinki Napoli - All Night Long Cast



	1986/1987

	Der Himmel über Berlin Director,Producer,Screenplay



	1985-1987

	Sansibar oder Der letzte Grund Mixing



	1984/1985

	King Kongs Faust Cast



	1984

	Tausend Augen Cast



	1983/1984

	Paris, Texas Director



	1983-1985

	Tôkyô-ga Voice,Screenplay,Editing,Director



	1982

	Room 666 Participation,Commentary,Screenplay,Director



	1981/1982

	Der Stand der Dinge Screenplay,Director



	1979/1980

	Nick's Film - Lightning Over Water Cast,Co-Producer,Commentary,Editing,Screenplay,Participation,Voice,Director



	1979

	Radio On Co-Producer



	1978/1979

	...als Diesel geboren Producer



	1977

	Die linkshändige Frau Producer



	1976/1977

	Der amerikanische Freund Producer,Director,Screenplay



	1976

	Neues Deutsches Kino: Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders Miscellaneous,Cast



	1975/1976

	Im Lauf der Zeit Director,Screenplay,Producer



	1974

	Aus der Familie der Panzerechsen Director



	1974

	Die Insel Director



	1974

	Ein bißchen Liebe Producer



	1974/1975

	Falsche Bewegung Script assistent,Director



	1973/1974

	Alice in den Städten Cast,Director,Screenplay



	1972/1973

	Der scharlachrote Buchstabe Director,Screenplay



	1971

	Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter Screenplay,Director,Dialogue



	1969

	3 Amerikanische LP's Cast,Editing,Director of photography,Director,Production manager,Sound



	1969-1971

	Summer in the City. (Dedicated to the Kinks) Producer,Cast,Screenplay,Director,Production manager



	1969/1970

	Ten Years After Director of photography



	1968/1969

	Alabama: 2000 Light Years Production manager,Screenplay,Director of photography,Editing,Sound,Director



	1968/1969

	Amon Düül II Play Phallus Dei Director of photography



	1968

	Candy Man Cast



	1968/1969

	Der Fall Lena Christ Boom operator,Unit manager



	1968

	Klappenfilm Director,Producer



	1968/1969

	Polizeifilm Screenplay,Director,Production manager,Director of photography,Editing



	1968/1969

	Silver City Producer,Director of photography,Editing,Screenplay,Director



	1968

	Victor I Director



	1968

	[Ohne Titel] Director,Producer



	1967/1968

	Liebe und so weiter Cast



	1967/1968

	Same Player Shoots Again Screenplay,Director,Producer,Editing,Director of photography



	1966/1967

	Schauplätze Editing,Producer,Director,Director of photography,Screenplay