Born Ernst Wilhelm Wenders in Dusseldorf (1945), there is little current information about hist childhood. Between 1963 and 1965 he studied medicine and philosophy in Freiburg. After a few short years he dropped out of university and moved to Paris with the intention of becoming a painter. By '67 he had developed a fascination with cinema however, and after rejection from French national film school, he moved back to Germany and enrolled in “Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München”.
Between 1967 and 1970 he worked as a film critic for Süddeutsche Zeitung, Twen Magazine and Der Spiegel. His film career would take of in the early '70s and he would emerge as one of the most influential figures of the New German Cinema along with directors such as Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Werner Herzog. Characterized as the “existentialist” of New German Cinema, his films combine Hollywood with elements of counter-cinema and explore states of consciousness-loneliness, yearning, irresolution and anxiety. Many of his films also look at the impact of American culture on Germany. His notable movies include The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick (1972), Alice of the Cities (1974), Kings of the Road (1976), Paris, Texas (1984) and Wings of Desire (1987). In 1975 he was even able to establish his own production company "Road Movies" in Berlin.
Desolate landscapes and open roads would play a role in many of Wenders' films. He also had an affinity for American culture. This fascination, as well as his successes in Germany, afforded him the opportunity to take on American Cinema (of course the significantly more money there was to be made in America was likely a factor as well).
Wenders' notable documentaries include Buena Vista Social Club (1999) and, most recently, Pina (2011), an incredible look into the world of dance. Both earned him Oscar nominations. For a more complete look at Wenders' life and work, take a gander at his official website.
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