After the successful Werner Herzog and Rainer Werner Fassbinder retrospectives organized by the Goethe-Institut in Manila these past two years, the Goethe-Institut will now present the works of the well-acclaimed German filmmaker, Wim Wenders, who among Herzog and Fassbinder was a principal member of the New German Cinema of the 1970s. Nine award-winning Wim Wenders feature films and a documentary will be screened for free every weekend at
4 pm starting this April 27 to May 26 at the Cinematheque Centre Manila.
about Wim Wenders
© Donata Wenders
Wim Wenders (born 1945) came to international prominence as one of the pioneers of the New German Cinema in the 1970s and is considered to be one of the most important figures in contemporary German film. In addition to his many prize-winning feature films, his work as a scriptwriter, director, producer, photographer, and author also encompasses an abundance of innovative documentary films, international photo exhibitions and numerous monographs, film books and prose collections. He lives and works in Berlin, together with his wife Donata Wenders.
Among Wim Wenders‘ awards are the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or in 1984 for his movie Paris, Texas, the Golden Lion at the 1982 Venice Film Festival for The State of Things, and won best director at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival for Wings of Desire. He has also been nominated three times for the Academy Awards for his films Buena Vista Social Club (1999), Pina (2012), and, most recently, The Salt of the Earth (2015).
FILMS
PARIS, TEXAS (1984)
139 min
Travis vanished for four years. Now he returns, a lonely wanderer in the desert, crossing into the US over the Mexican border, silent and withdrawn. His brother takes him to Los Angeles; Travis meets his young son, slowly wins back his trust and sets off with him in search of Jane, Travis’s estranged wife and Hunter's estranged mother.
THE SCARLET LETTER/ DER SCHARLACHROTE BUCHSTABE (1972)
85 min
New England, the latter half of the 17th century: Hester Prynne is yet again set in the pillory and told she must reveal the name of her daughter’s father. Until she does, she must wear the letter “A” on her clothing as a mark of shame. The doctor Roger Chillingworth appears, though nobody is aware that the stranger is Hester’s husband. He soon surmises the identity of the father of baby Pearl.
ALICE IN THE CITIES/ ALICE IN DEN STÄDTEN (1974)
110 min
Phillip is a roving German reporter who, after a chance encounter with an elusive American woman, reluctantly accepts temporary custody of little Alice. Their friendship grows while traveling through various European cities on a search for the girl’s grandmother.
IN THE COURSE OF TIME/ IM LAUF DER ZEIT (1976)
176 min
In a bold yet subtle way, Wim Wenders' film captures Germany's recent history as well as the history of film through this story of two men. Life, memory and film intermingle in this three-hour adventure. With one timid and brief exception, women do not appear in the story, and yet they become ever more present: as a reminiscence or hope, as a promise and a life-changing possibility.
THE AMERICAN FRIEND/ DER AMERIKANISCHE FREUND (1977)
123 min
Jonathan, formerly a restorer, now making picture frames, lives in Hamburg. He suffers from leukaemia and knows that there is no escape for him. Tom Ripley, an American art dealer, makes him a very doubtful offer: he is to commit a murder in Paris. Jonathan agrees to the proposal. After his return a second murder is inevitable. Ripley himself is now in need of Jonathan's help.
NICK’S FILM LIGHTNING OVER WATER (1981)
92 min
Nicholas Ray and Wim Wenders decide to make a film together, two directors, two generations, with a close relationship through their love of the cinema. For Ray this is an attempt to regain self-confidence and dignity in the face of death. For Wenders it means extreme personal observation, accompanying his fatally ill friend who has a strong will to continue his work, in a sensitive, unsparing and honest manner.
THE STATE OF THINGS/ DER STAND DER DINGE (1982)
120 min
The starting point is a sealed-off situation: Friedrich, a German director, is making a film in Portugal with American funds, a remake of Allen Dwan’s THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN ALIVE. The filming takes place in a deserted, storm-battered seaside hotel. The staff is nowhere to be seen and the local inhabitants hardly take any notice of the production. Then Joe Corby, the cameraman, tells the director that they have no negatives left and are unable to continue filming; the producer has just left for Los Angeles.
WINGS OF DESIRE/ DER HIMMEL ÜBER BERLIN (1987)
122 min
Damiel and Cassiel are two of the angels in Berlin who, from lofty vantage points, watch over the fate of the people below. Damiel falls in love with Marion and has an ever-growing desire to be near her; but to truly realize his love, he must become human.
A TRICK OF THE LIGHT/ DIE GEBRÜDER SKLADANOWSKY (1996)
79 min
A mixture of fiction and documentary about the German film pioneers Max, Emil and Eugen Skladanowsky who, like many of their contemporaries, attempted to find ways of recording and showing moving pictures. They held the public premiere of their invention at the Wintergarten theatre in Berlin in 1895 – just two months before that of the Lumière brothers, whose own invention ultimately went on to enjoy much wider public recognition.
DON’T COME KNOCKING (2004)
123 min
Howard Spence has seen better days. He has acted in many Westerns, but today he’s just living off his former glory. After another night of debauchery, he flees the set of his latest movie riding away into the open prairie, like one of the heroes he so often portrayed. Seeking refuge at his mother’s place, he soon learns that he might have a child somewhere that he never knew about. The very idea seems like a ray of hope that his life wasn’t all in vain. Maybe there is even a place out there where he belongs! So Howard sets out to search for that son, or daughter, whoever it is, only to discover an entire life that he has missed so far, and a love he thought lost.
SCHEDULE
| DATE |
TIME |
MOVIE |
| April 27 |
4:00 PM |
Paris, Texas |
| April 28 |
4:00 PM |
The Scarlet Letter (Der scharlachrote Buchstabe) |
| May 04 |
4:00 PM |
Alice in the Cities (Alice in den Städten) |
| May 05 |
4:00 PM |
In the Course of Time (Im Lauf der Zeit) |
| May 11 |
4:00 PM |
The American Friend (Der amerikanische Freund) |
| May 12 |
4:00 PM |
Nick’s Film Lightning over Water |
| May 18 |
4:00 PM |
The State of Things (Der Stand der Dinge) |
| May 19 |
4:00 PM |
Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin) |
| May 25 |
4:00 PM |
A Trick of the Light (Die Gebrüder Skladanowsky) |
| May 26 |
4:00 PM |
Don’t Come Knocking |
Check out press release here.
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