Wim Wenders

Known for: Directing
Born: August 14, 1945, Düsseldorf, Germany
Movies: 214

Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker and playwright, who is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among the honors he has received are prizes from the Cannes, Venice and Berlin film festivals. He has also received a BAFTA Award and been nominated for three Academy Awards and a Grammy Award.

Wenders made his feature film debut with Summer in the City (1970). He earned critical acclaim for directing the films Alice in the Cities (1974), The Wrong Move (1975), and Kings of the Road (1976), later known as the Road Movie trilogy. Wenders won the BAFTA Award for Best Direction and the Palme d'Or for Paris, Texas (1984) and the Cannes Film Festival Best Director Award for Wings of Desire (1987). His other notable films include The American Friend (1977), Faraway, So Close! (1993), and Perfect Days (2023).

Wenders has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature: for Buena Vista Social Club (1999), Pina (2011), and The Salt of the Earth (2014). He received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video for Willie Nelson at the Teatro (1998). He is also known for directing the documentaries Tokyo-Ga (1985), The Soul of a Man (2003), and Pope Francis: A Man of His Word (2018).

Upcoming Wim Wenders Movies

From Inside Out: The Architecture of Peter Zumthor

2026

November 26, 2026

Best-Known Movies

8.1

Paris, Texas

1984

7.8

Perfect Days

2023

7.8

Wings of Desire

1987

8.1

The Salt of the Earth

2014

7.1

The American Friend

1977

7.5

Buena Vista Social Club

1999

5.9

The Million Dollar Hotel

2000

7.7

Alice in the Cities

1974

5.5

Submergence

2018

7.4

Pina

2011

Filmography

2026	L'Image originelle – Wim Wenders	Self
2025	Films to Die For	Self - Interviewee
2025	La nostra magnifica ossessione - Bernardo Bertolucci e la sua generazione
2025	The Ozu Diaries	Self
2025	Wim Wenders: Der ewig Suchende	Self
2025	The Keys to Freedom	Wim Wenders
2024	Now is Now: Wim Wenders on 'Perfect Days'	Self
2023	Room 999	Self
2023	Cannes Uncut	Self
2022	Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer	Self
2022	CAN and Me	Self
2022	Bruno Ganz - The Longing Revolutionary	Self
2022	From Our Side
2022	Come with Me to the Cinema – The Gregors	Self
2022	Film: The Living Record of Our Memory	Self
2022	Die 2050er - Everything will change
2021	Why Are We (Not) Creative?	Self
2021	Now	Self
2021	A Life for Movies: Lotte Eisner	Self
2020	High Maintenance	Self
2020	Good Morning, the Wind Blows	Self
2020	Wim Wenders, Desperado	Self
2020	Veränderung	Self
2019	Zeroville	Larry
2019	Paul Auster: What If	Self - Filmmaker
2018	Beyond the Bolex	Self
2018	Living the Light: Robby Müller	Self
2018	Why Are We Creative?	Self
2018	Pope Francis: A Man of His Word	Self - Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
2018	Leçon de cinéma avec Wim Wenders	Self - filmmaker
2017	Plankton Salesmen	Self (archive footage)
2017	Water and Sugar – Carlo Di Palma: The Colours of Life	Self
2017	The Trial: The State of Russia vs Oleg Sentsov	Self
2016	Along for the Ride	Self
2016	Dennis Hopper: Uneasy Rider	Self
2016	Three for the Road	Self
2015	A Weekend at the Beach	Self
2015	Filmstudio, mon amour	Sé stesso
2015	Chris Marker: Never Explain, Never Complain	Self
2015	French Cinema Mon Amour	Self
2015	Return to Beethoven Street: Sam Fuller in Germany	Self
2015	The Legend of the Palme d'Or	Self
2015	Was heißt hier Ende? Der Filmkritiker Michael Althen	Self
2015	Restoring Time	Self
2014	The Salt of the Earth	Self
2014	Henri Langlois vu par...	Self
2013	Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction	Self
2013	A Fuller Life	Self - Reader (segment "A River of Tears")
2012	Edward Hopper and the Blank Canvas	Self
2012	Close Up	Self (archive footage)
2012	BAM150	Self
2011	Autoluminescent: Rowland S. Howard	Self
2011	Hitler in Hollywood	Wim Wenders
2011	Zwischen den Zeiten
2011	Viaggio in Bergmania	Self
2011	Mondo Lux: The Visual Worlds of Werner Schroeter	Self
2011	Harry Dean Stanton: Crossing Mulholland
2010	Snowblind	Gray Fox
2010	Cronología
2009	What Do You Know About Me	Self
2008	Effedia - Sulla mia cattiva strada	Self
2008	Auge in Auge - Eine deutsche Filmgeschichte	Self
2008	Wim Wenders' Story Of His Early Years	Self
2008	Counter Shot: Departure of the Filmmakers	Self
2008	Back to Room 666	Self
2008	One Who Set Forth: Wim Wenders' Early Years	Self
2007	Cannes: All Access	Self
2006	The Art of Football from A to Z	Self
2006	Still Alive: A Film About Krzysztof Kieslowski	Self
2004	Edgar G. Ulmer: The Man Off-Screen	Self
2004	Dennis Hopper: The Decisive Moments	Self
2004	La torcedura
2003	Wings of Desire: The Angels Among Us	Self
2003	Dennis Hopper: Create (or Die)	Self
2002	Fassbinder in Hollywood	Self
2002	Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet	Doctor #1 (segment "Twelve Miles to Trona")
2002	Heart of the Festival	Self (archive footage)
2001	Window of the Soul	Self
2000	The Million Dollar Hotel
2000	FreeDogme	himself
1998	Alekan le magnifique	Self
1997	Tango Berlin
1996	Love in Hollywood	Self
1995	A Trick of the Light	Regisseur / Milchmann
1995	To Make a Film Is to Be Alive	Self (uncredited)
1995	The Night of the Filmmakers	Self
1995	In Bildern leben - Die filmischen Reflexionen des Wim Wenders	Self
1994	Kleiner Mann ganz groß	Self
1994	Nick Cave: Straight To You - A Portrait	Self
1993	Arisha, the Bear, and the Stone Ring	Santa Claus
1993	Talking with Ozu	Self
1993	Without Me	Himself
1991	Dream Island
1990	Wim Wenders in Tokyo	Self
1990	Pictures of Europe	Self
1990	Motion and Emotion: The Road to 'Paris, Texas'	Self
1990	Motion and Emotion: The Films of Wim Wenders	Self
1989	Notebook on Cities and Clothes	Self
1989	The Heart and the Legs	Self
1988	Alekan, la lumière	Self
1987	Helsinki Napoli All Night Long	Gas Station Attendant
1985	King Kongs Faust	Regisseur
1985	Room 666	Self
1985	Report from Hollywood
1984	Tausend Augen	Dieb im Videoladen
1984	De droomproducenten	Self
1983	Dennis Hopper's Russian Dynamite Death Chair Act	Himself
1982	Reverse Angle: New York, March 1982	Self
1982	Cinématon XXII	N°212
1982	Cinématon n°212 : Wim Wenders
1982	The State of Things	Tram Passenger (uncredited)
1980	Lightning Over Water	Self
1978	Cinématon	N°212
1978	Long Shot	Another Director
1977	The American Friend	Figure Wrapped in Plaster Bandages in Ambulance (uncredited)
1976	Signs of Vigorous Life: The New German Cinema	Self
1976	Kings of the Road	Spectator at Pauline's Theater (uncredited)
1975	The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick	Man Walking through Vienna Bus Station (uncredited)
1975	Wrong Move	Man in Dining Car (uncredited)
1974	Alice in the Cities	Man by Jukebox in American Cafe (uncredited)
1972	Summer in the City	Billardspieler (uncredited)
1969	3 American LPs
1968	Love and So Forth	Student
1968	Candy Man

Directing, Writing & Producing

2026	From Inside Out: The Architecture of Peter Zumthor	Director
2026	I'll Be Gone in June	Producer
2025	The Keys to Freedom	Director, Writer
2023	Perfect Days	Producer, Director, Screenplay
2023	Some Body Comes Into the Light	Director, Producer
2023	Mutiny in Heaven: The Birthday Party	Producer
2023	Anselm	Director, Writer, Producer
2022	Présence	Director
2020	A Black Jesus	Producer
2020	Veränderung	Director, Writer
2020	Two or Three Things I Know about Edward Hopper	Writer, Director, Producer
2018	Pope Francis: A Man of His Word	Director, Producer, Writer
2018	Submergence	Director
2016	The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez	Director, Writer, Producer
2015	Every Thing Will Be Fine	Director
2014	The Salt of the Earth	Director, Writer
2014	Henri Langlois vu par...	Director
2014	Cathedrals of Culture	Director, Writer
2014	The Berlin Philharmonic	Director
2013	Invisible World	Director, Writer
2013	Über Gott, Alfi und Mexico	Producer
2012	Ver ou Não Ver	Director
2011	Pina	Director, Screenplay, Producer
2010	If Buildings Could Talk	Director, Writer
2010	Il Volo	Director, Writer
2008	Palermo Shooting	Director, Writer, Producer
2008	8	Director, Writer
2008	Person to Person	Director
2007	To Each His Own Cinema	Director
2007	Invisibles	Director, Writer
2007	Invisible Crimes	Director
2005	Don't Come Knocking	Director, Writer
2005	Egoshooter	Producer
2004	Land of Plenty	Director, Screenplay
2004	Música Cubana	Producer
2004	Half the Rent	Producer
2004	La torcedura	Producer
2003	Fools	Producer
2003	The Soul of a Man	Director, Writer
2003	Fools	Producer
2002	June Moon	Producer
2002	Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet	Director, Writer
2002	BAP - Ode to Cologne	Director, Writer
2000	The Million Dollar Hotel	Director, Producer
1999	Buena Vista Social Club	Director, Screenplay
1998	Willie Nelson at the Teatro	Director, Writer
1997	The End of Violence	Producer, Director
1997	Go for Gold!	Producer
1995	Lumière & Company	Director
1995	A Trick of the Light	Director, Writer, Producer
1995	Beyond the Clouds	Screenplay
1994	Lisbon Story	Director, Screenplay, Producer
1993	Arisha, the Bear, and the Stone Ring	Director, Writer, Producer
1993	Faraway, So Close!	Director, Screenplay, Producer
1991	Until the End of the World	Director, Screenplay
1991	Dream Island	Producer
1990	Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter	Director
1989	Notebook on Cities and Clothes	Director, Writer, Producer
1987	Wings of Desire	Director, Producer, Screenplay
1987	Iron Earth, Copper Sky	Producer
1985	Tokyo-Ga	Director, Writer, Producer
1985	Room 666	Director, Writer
1984	Paris, Texas	Director, Producer
1982	Reverse Angle: New York, March 1982	Director, Writer, Producer
1982	Hammett	Director
1982	The State of Things	Director, Producer, Writer
1980	Lightning Over Water	Director, Writer, Producer
1979	...als Diesel geboren	Producer
1979	Nicholas Ray: Especially for Pierre	Producer
1978	The Left-Handed Woman	Producer
1977	The American Friend	Director, Screenplay, Producer
1976	Kings of the Road	Director, Producer, Screenplay
1975	The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick	Director, Writer, Producer
1975	Wrong Move	Director, Producer
1974	Ein bißchen Liebe	Producer
1974	From the Family of Reptiles	Director
1974	The Island	Director
1974	Alice in the Cities	Director, Screenplay, Producer
1973	The Scarlet Letter	Director, Writer, Producer
1972	Summer in the City	Director, Writer, Producer
1969	3 American LPs	Director
1969	Polizeifilm	Director, Writer
1969	Am Spätnachmittag des folgenden Tages erwachte Joe in einem billigen Hotelzimmer - Andy schläft noch ...	Producer
1969	Kaspar Hauser	Director
1969	Silver City Revisited	Director, Writer, Producer
1969	Alabama (2000 Light Years)	Director, Writer
1968	Same Player Shoots Again	Director, Writer, Producer
1968	Klappenfilm	Producer, Director
1968	Victor I.	Director
1967	Schauplätze	Director, Writer, Producer

Data from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.