Wim Wenders to give speech honouring Sebastião Salgado

Wim Wenders was born in Düsseldorf in 1945. After initially pursuing studies in medicine, philosophy and sociology and living and working abroad in Paris, he went on to complete a degree from 1967 to 1970 at the newly established film school known as the Hochschule für Film und Fernsehen (HFF) in Munich. While still studying at the HFF, he made his first short films and also worked as a film critic for Filmkritik, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Der Spiegel and Twen.

In 1971, he became a founding member of Filmverlag der Autoren, a German film distributor. Wenders first attracted widespread attention for his own work in 1972 with the film version of Peter Handke’s novel The Goalkeeper’s Fear of the Penalty. His 1974 road movie Alice in the Cities marked his artistic breakthrough.

In 2014, Wenders made The Salt of the Earth, an Oscar-nominated documentary about Sebastião Salgado, this year’s Peace Prize recipient. Wenders had previously received Oscar nominations for Buena Vista Social Club (1999) and Pina (2011). His The State of Things (1982) was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. His Paris, Texas (1984) received the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, where he also received the Best Director prize for Wings of Desire (1987).

Wenders’ photographs have been exhibited throughout the world. He has acted as president of the European Film Academy since 1996 and in 2005 became a member of the prominent German order known as Pour le Mérite. In 2012, he created the Wim Wenders Foundation as a way of bringing together his artistic work while also supporting young filmmakers. In 2014, he received the Honorary Golden Bear at the Berlinale for his life’s work.