Three classic films from the 1970s, that established Wim Wenders internationally as a leading representative of the New German Cinema movement, will be screened in restored versions at the Ceau, Cinema! Festival, as part of a focus organized in collaboration with the German Cultural Center in Timișoara.
United in the ”Road Trilogy”, ”Alice in the Cities” (1974), ”Wrong Move” (1975), and ”Kings of the Road” (1976) take us on a journey, beautifully filmed, along the roads of West Germany..
All three feature films were shot by the renowned cinematographer Robby Müller and star the well-known actor Rüdiger Vogler as the director’s alter ego.
The 12th edition of Ceau, Cinema! will take place from July 16th to 20th in Timișoara.
”Alice in the Cities” follows Phillip, a wandering German reporter who, after a chance encounter with an elusive American woman, reluctantly agrees to temporarily take care of her young daughter, Alice. As they travel through various cities in search of the girl’s grandmother, the two form a deep bond. The film was selected for Locarno, New York, and Chicago festivals and was chosen Best Film by German critics.
In ”Wrong Move”, a writer embarks on a journey across West Germany in search of his vocation, accompanied by an eclectic group of individuals he meets along the way. The film is a loose adaptation of Goethe’s famous novel ”Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship”. ”Wrong Move” was selected for the Locarno, Rotterdam, and Chicago film festivals and won six awards at the German Film Awards.
Winner of the FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes, ”Kings of the Road” tells the story of a film projection equipment mechanic who meets a young psychologist struggling with depression after the collapse of his marriage. Together, they embark on a journey along the border between West and East Germany, visiting outdated rural cinemas. Along the way, the two men, each running from his past, form a friendship built on their shared loneliness.
Born on August 14th, 1945, in Düsseldorf, Wim Wenders currently resides in Berlin. He has directed dozens of fiction and documentary films, earning international recognition, including multiple awards at Cannes and Oscar nominations. He is one of the founding members of the European Film Academy (EFA) and served as its president from 1996 to 2020. At the end of last year, the German filmmaker was honored by the EFA with a lifetime achievement award.
The Wim Wenders Retrospective is organized by Ceau, Cinema! and the German Cultural Center in Timișoara, with the support of the Goethe-Institut Bucharest.
“Wim Wenders is one of the great contemporary filmmakers, so we are delighted to celebrate him in Timișoara, joining the series of retrospectives and special events dedicated worldwide to the German director in the recent years. We will present, in restored 4K versions, three of his early films, the ones that shaped his unique style and his focus on themes such as alienation, loss of identity, loneliness, and lack of communication. We thank the German Cultural Center, a long-time partner, for their support in preparing this retrospective”, says Ionuț Mareș, artistic director of Ceau, Cinema!.
“It is a joy for the German Cultural Center as well to be part of this retrospective of a German director of such importance for the international cinema. We also thank to Ceau, Cinema! and the Association Pelicula Culturală for this initiative and opportunity”, says Mona Isabela Petzek, director of the German Cultural Center in Timișoara.
Ceau, Cinema! is a festival dedicated to European cinema, organized by the Association Pelicula Culturală.
Funded by the Municipality of Timișoara through the Center for Projects.
Sponsors: Groupama Insurance, Vitas Romania.
Partners: Cinema Timiş, Cinema Studio.