INTERNATIONAL CURRENTS
Best known in the US for a number of landmark films he made in the 1970s and 1980s—including The American Friend (1977), Paris, Texas (1984), and Wings of Desire (1987)—German director Wim Wenders has for the past decade explored the many possibilities, beyond simple spectacle, of 3D cinema. Beginning with Pina, his 2011 portrait of dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch, and continuing through several features and installations, Wenders has continued pushing the evolving technologies to discover true “presence” in the movie image, despite the waning popularity of 3D in recent years.
Anselm is a study of the German artist Anselm Kiefer that documents his work by navigating through his massive studio spaces and installations. Shot over two years, Anselm also includes archival footage (re-rendered creatively for the 3D context) and staged recreations. The film is the portrait of an artist who, like Wenders (both were born in 1945), has spent a lifetime reckoning with Germany’s past.
Anselm will be preceded by Laberint Sequences, the latest short by Blake Williams, who has likewise worked consistently with 3D. Read a conversation between Wenders and Williams, from the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.