Film Heritage Foundation, in association with the Wim Wenders Stiftung (Wim Wenders Foundation) and in collaboration with Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Mumbai announces “Wim Wenders – King of the Road – The India Tour”, a first-of-its-kind retrospective dedicated to one of the greatest masters of world cinema, several times Oscar-nominee and winner of prestigious awards like the Palme D’Or, the Golden Lion, and the BAFTA. The retrospective will take place in the presence of Wim Wenders, who will visit India for the first time.
Wim Wenders who was known as a pioneer of the New German Cinema of the 1970s, is considered today one of the leading figures of contemporary world cinema. The work of the screenwriter, director, producer, photographer and author includes multiple award-winning feature and documentary films, photo exhibitions presented worldwide, as well as numerous photo books, film books and text collections.
His films PARIS, TEXAS (1984) and WINGS OF DESIRE (1987) are today part of the international canon of film heritage, as are his innovative documentaries PINA, BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB and THE SALT OF THE EARTH. His two most recent films had their world premiere at the Festival de Cannes in 2023: ANSELM, his documentary film in 3D about the artist Anselm Kiefer, and his Japanese feature film PERFECT DAYS, for which lead actor Kōji Yakusho received the award for Best Actor in Cannes. PERFECT DAYS became Wenders’ internationally most successful film and was nominated for an Oscar in the “International Feature Film” category in 2024.
The extensive India retrospective will showcase the auteur’s astonishing range of films spanning a career of more than half a century. A total of 18 of his films – features, short films and documentaries – from his earliest feature film, THE GOALIE’S ANXIETY AT THE PENALTY KICK (1971), to his latest documentary ANSELM in 3D will be screened in five cities – Mumbai, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram, Kolkata and Delhi from February 5 to February 22, 2025. The screenings are open to the general public on a first come, first served basis.
This unique retrospective will see Wim Wenders, who is famous for his road movies, travel across the country presenting his films in the different cities in public events as well as in engagements with film students and the film community.
WIM WENDERS:
“In all my travels around the world over the years, it seems astonishing that somehow, India fell off the map, not just because it is a country with an abundance of landscapes and images to explore, but also because it is a country where cinema is like a religion. I have known of Film Heritage Foundation’s dedication to preserving, restoring and bringing India’s precious film heritage back to contemporary audiences, so I was very happy when Shivendra invited me to come to India for a retrospective of my films. I am excited to have the opportunity to travel across the country and present my films, and who knows what will emerge from my time on the road in India?”
SHIVENDRA SINGH DUNGARPUR:
“It’s a dream come true for Film Heritage Foundation to have Wim Wenders, one of the greatest masters of world cinema come to India to support the foundation and to be able to mount a retrospective on a scale that attempts to showcase the breadth and depth of a career of over 50 years in almost every form of cinema from shorts to features, documentaries and 3D films. Wim Wenders is not just a filmmaker, but a poet and a thinker of cinema who has influenced generations of filmmakers including myself. He is truly the King of the Road, but he has never been to India – and it is going to be the adventure of a lifetime to travel across the country with him and show his films. He is also a champion of film heritage – recipient of the 2024 International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) Award – having made some of the most remarkable films on filmmakers besides having archived and restored his films, thanks to which audiences in five cities in India will have the extraordinary opportunity to watch these beautiful restorations presented by the master himself.”
BJÖRN KETELS:
“The films of Wim Wenders have played a pivotal role in the cultural work of the Goethe-Institut (The cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany). We are therefore thrilled to join hands with the Film Heritage Foundation and Wim Wenders Foundation in welcoming Wim Wenders to India. He is one of the pioneers of the New German Cinema (Neues Deutsches Kino) and is considered to be one of the most important representatives of contemporary cinema. The programme includes showcasing 18 of his most acclaimed films in 5 cities in India. This is the first time that such a substantial offering of his work and a chance to interact with the legend himself is being presented in India and we hope that film lovers, students and professionals will enjoy the opportunity and find the experience enriching.”
THE FILMS
1.The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick (1971) – Wim Wenders’ debut film – an existential crime noir inspired by the visual idiom of Hitchcock’s films. Won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1972 Venice Film Festival.
West Germany/ Austria I 1971 I German with English subtitles I 4K DCP (restored version) I Colour I 100 minutes I 1:1.37
2. Alice in the Cities (1973) – The first of Wenders’ Road Trilogy in which he discovered the genre of the road movie.
West Germany I 1973/74 I German with English subtitles I 2K DCP (restored version) I Black & White I 112 minutes I 1:1.66
3. Kings of the Road (1975) – The third film in Wenders’ Road Trilogy, “Kings of the Road” is about a friendship between two men: a film projector repairman who travels along the backroads of provincial West Germany near the border to the East in his truck, and a psychologist who is fleeing from his own past. Winner of the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival.
West Germany I 1975 I German with English subtitles I 4K DCP (restored version) I Black & White I 175 minutes I 1:1.66
4. The American Friend (1977) – Wim Wenders’ adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel Ripley’s Game is considered a cult film. The cast of Wenders’ film includes not only the directors Dennis Hopper and Gérard Blain – many of the supporting roles of gangsters are also played by fellow directors, such as Hollywood legends Sam Fuller and Nicholas Ray. Winner of the German Critics Prize as well as winner of the German Film Prize in gold in two categories.
West Germany/ France I 1976/1977 I German, English, French with English subtitles I 4K DCP (restored version) I Colour I 126 minutes I 1:1.66
5. Lightning Over Water (1980) – A film about the last months in the life of American director Nicholas Ray, who is probably best known for his cult film “Rebel Without a Cause”. Wenders and Ray got to know each other on the set of “The American Friend” and became “Lightning Over Water” was made in just a few weeks at a time when Wenders was free from his studio film “Hammett”.
West Germany I 1979/1980 I English I 4K DCP (restored version) I Colour I 90 minutes I 1:1.66
6. Reverse Angle (1982) – “Reverse Angle” was my first diary film. It is about “new wave music” (among others Jim Jarmusch’s Del Byzanteens), about straying in New York, about the editing process of “Hammett” in the presence of Francis Ford Coppola, about a novel by Emanuel Bove and about Edward Hopper. And somehow the whole thing was a reflection about filmmaking in Europe and America.” (quote Wim Wenders)
West Germany I 1982 I German, English I 2K DCP (restored version) I Colour I 17 minutes I 1:1.33
7. Room 666 (1982) – “Room 666” at the Hotel Martinez in Cannes. There was a single camera in the room and the question was on the table. My colleagues only had to turn on the tape recorder and the camera when they were ready to give their solitary answers. Godard, Fassbinder, Spielberg, Antonioni, Herzog and other filmmakers gave response to the question: ‘Is cinema a language about to get lost, an art about to die?’ “(quote Wim Wenders)
West Germany/ USA I 1982 I English, French, German etc. with English subtitles I 2K DCP (restored version) I Colour I 50 minutes I 1:1.33
8. The State of Things (1982) – is a highly personal film about filmmaking in Europe and America. It is about a film crew stranded at the most Western tip of Europe. After shooting the last images of the film, there is nothing left to do but wait. The director finally sets out for Los Angeles to search for the missing producer. Wenders’ parable on filmmaking has also been interpreted as his way of addressing the difficulties that he faced during the production of “Hammett”, his first film in the US. Winner of the Golden Lion at the 1982 Venice Film Festival.
West Germany I 1981/1982 I English, French I 4K DCP (restored version) I Black & White and Colour I 121 minutes I 1:1.66
9. Paris, Texas (1984) – Wim Wenders’ iconic Cannes winner from 1984, exquisitely photographed by Dutch master Robby Müller, is a powerful statement on self-discovery, loss, redemption and the unbreakable bonds of love. Outstanding performances by Harry Dean Stanton and Nastassja Kinski, a masterful screenplay by Sam Shepard and Ry Cooder’s haunting soundtrack have contributed to “Paris, Texas’” cult film status and its spell, even 40 years later. Winner of the Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival 1984 and the BAFTA Award for Best Director in 1985.
West Germany/ France I 1983/1984 I English I 1:1.66
10. Tokyo-Ga (1985) – The documentary is the director’s homage to the great Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu as Wim Wenders travels to Japan in search of the Tokyo seen in Ozu’s films. Winner of the Outstanding Film of the Year Award at the 1985 London Film Festival.
West Germany/ USA I 1983-1985 I English, Japanese I 2K DCP (restored version) I Colour I 92 minutes I 1:1.37
11. Wings of Desire (1987) – The film has achieved cult status all around the world and marked Wenders’ “homecoming” as it was his first German film after eight years in America. The main characters are guardian angels – benevolent, invisible beings in trench coats – who listen to the thoughts of mortals and attempt to comfort them. Winner of the Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival 1987.
West Germany I German, French, English with English subtitles I 4K DCP (restored version) I Black & White and Colour I 128 minutes I 1:1.66
12. Until the End of the World – Director’s Cut (1994) – is “the ultimate road movie,” a journey around the globe, a modern-day odyssey, and it certainly bears similarities to Homer’s saga. The film was shot in 1990 and takes place in what was then the near future, around the turn of the millennium. What most interests Wenders here is how humanity learns to deal with images – or becomes their victim. The character Eugene notes: “In the beginning was the word. What would happen if only the image remained in the end!?”
Germany/ France/ Australia I 1994 I English I 4K DCP (restored version) I Colour I 287 minutes I 1:1.66
13. The End of Violence (1997) – Wim Wenders’ webbed exploration of an image saturated Los Angeles is a thoughtprovoking analysis of human On entering this strangely meandering thriller, the viewer steps into a shady, multifaceted world, where the image does not act as evidence but instead leads one astray. “The End of Violence” is a cerebral and sobering examination of the allconsuming, dehumanising reign of images.
France/ Germany/ USA I 1997 I 4K DCP (restored version) I Colour I 122 minutes I 1:1.66
14. Buena Vista Social Club (1999) – The music documentary became a cinematic sensation and an international success and was nominated for an Oscar. With a small film crew, Wim Wenders accompanied his old friend Ry Cooder, who had previously written the music for “Paris, Texas” and “The End of Violence”, on a trip to Havana. Wenders immersed himself in the world of Cuban music. Over the course of several months, he observed and accompanied the musicians – first at home in Havana and then, weeks later, in April 1998, on their trip to Amsterdam for the first public performance of the band (who had never played together outside a studio) and then, in July 1998, to their triumphal concert in New York’s Carnegie Hall.
Germany / USA I 1998 / 1999 I English, Spanish I 2K DCP I Colour I 105 minutes I 1:1.85
15. The Million Dollar Hotel (2000) – Based on an idea by rock star Bono of U2, the film is a story about friendship and deception – and about the immeasurable power of unconditional lov A group of freaks, outsiders and drifters live in a run-down hotel in downtown Los Angeles, in an area full of drug addicts and homeless people. Bono provided the concept for the film as well as the soundtrack. Winner of the Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival 2000.
Germany/ USA I 2000 I English I 4K DCP (restored version) I Colour I 124 minutes I 1:2.39
16. Don’t Come Knocking (2005) – Hollywood star Howard Spence has seen better days. After another night of debauchery, he flees the set of his latest Western, riding away into the open prairie like one of the heroes he so often portrayed. He takes the bus to see (for the first time in 30 years) his elderly mother in Nevada and proceeds to look up a former lover in Montana and the grown-up son he’s never met.
Germany I 2004/2005 I English I 2K DCP I Colour I 122 minutes I 1:2.35
17. Pina (3D) (2011) – Oscar-nominated “Pina” is a feature-length dance film in 3D with the ensemble of the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, featuring the unique and inspiring art of the great German choreographer, who died in the summer of 2009. Wim Wenders takes the audience on a sensual, visually stunning journey of discovery into a new dimension: straight onto the stage with the legendary ensemble and follows the dancers out of the theatre into the city and the surrounding areas of Wuppertal – the place, which for 35 years was the home and centre for Pina Bausch’s creativity.
Germany/ France I 2011 I German with English subtitles I 3D DCP I Colour I 103 minutes I 1:1.85
18. Anselm (3D) (2023) – In “Anselm”, Wim Wenders creates a portrait of Anselm Kiefer, one of the most innovative and important painters and sculptors of our time. Shot in 3D and 6K-resolution, the film presents a cinematic experience of the artist’s work which explores human existence and the cyclical nature of history, inspired by literature, poetry, philosophy, science, mythology and religion. For over two years, Wenders traced Kiefer’s path from his native Germany to his current home in France, connecting the stages of his life to the essential places of his career that spans more than five decades.
Germany I 2023 I German, English (+ other languages for whispers) with English subtitles I 3D DCP I Colour with some Black & White elements I 93 minutes I 1:1.5
THE ITINERARY:
- Mumbai: February 5 – 9, 2025
Screening Venues: Regal Cinema / PVR Inox Metro for 3D screenings
- Thiruvananthapuram: February 10 – 11, 2025
Screening venues: Sree Kairali Nila Cinema Complex
- Kolkata: February 16 – 19, 2025
Screening venues: Nandan Cinema / Basusree Cinema
- New Delhi: February 20 – 22, 2025
Screening venue: PVR Plaza at Connaught Place for 3 D screenings / The Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre
- Pune – February 21-23, 2025
Screening Venue: NFDC-NFAI Theatre
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OUR COLLABORATORS
WIM WENDERS STIFTUNG – A FOUNDATION
The Wim Wenders Stiftung, a public foundation based in Düsseldorf/Germany, was established in 2012 to create a framework to bring together the cinematic, photographic, artistic, and literary lifework of Wim Wenders, and to make it permanently accessible to the public worldwide.
The non-profit foundation model ensures that the body of work remains beyond the reach of any form of private self-interest. All proceeds are used to finance the purposes of the foundation: the preservation, restoration, research, and distribution of Wim Wenders’ work, the support of young talents through the Wim Wenders Grant for developing innovative cinematic narration (in partnership with Medienstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen) and the foundation’s engagement in film education in schools. As of May 2024, a total of 17 feature films and 6 short films by Wim Wenders could be digitally restored, most of them in 4K. They are regarded as exemplary in the relatively new craft of digital film restoration.
Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan
Goethe-Institut is the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany with a global presence. We facilitate international cultural exchange, promote access to the German language and support the unimpeded development of culture and science. In India, the Goethe-Institut is also known as Max Mueller Bhavan and is present in Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai, with the regional headquarters located in New Delhi. The institute also has centres in Trivandrum, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, and Chandigarh.
