Wim Wenders: Early Years

In intimate conversations Wim Wenders talks about his sheltered upbringing in post-war Germany. The film follows him on a journey into the past that takes him to Paris, where he lived as a young painter and made his decision to become a filmmaker. He recounts his experiences, successes and failures as a film student on the way to becoming a director. He also conveys the attitudes and the euphoric mood among the first intake of students at Munich's newly founded film school. Apart from Wenders himself, some of his most important fellow-travellers also have their say, including Peter Handke, Robby Müller, Rüdiger Vogler, Bruno Ganz and Lisa Kreuzer. As they remember, they discuss some of the fundamental, recurring themes of Wenders' films - such as the search for identity, friendship and communication. They also discuss their own personal experiences with Wenders, both private and professional. Excerpts from Wenders' early works illustrate how, time and again, the filmmaker portrayed familar people he knew and authentic experiences. This is just one of the ways in which this documentary sheds new light on the early films of Wim Wenders.