Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German
filmmaker,
playwright,
author,
photographer, and a major figure in
New German Cinema. In a career spanning over four decades, he has received some of the highest international film awards, including the
Palme d'Or at the
1984 Cannes Film Festival for his drama
Paris, Texas; the
Golden Lion for the drama
The State of Things at the
Venice Film Festival (
1982); and Best Director for the romantic fantasy film
Wings of Desire at the
1987 Cannes Film Festival. He has been nominated for
the Academy Awards three times, for his documentaries
Buena Vista Social Club, about the music of Cuba,
Pina, about the contemporary dance choreographer
Pina Bausch, and
The Salt of the Earth, about Brazilian photographer
Sebastião Salgado. Since 1996, Wenders has been the president of the
European Film Academy in Berlin.