Reading & Talk
Wim Wenders “Wesentliches”
Wim Wenders, 2023 © Donata Wenders / Courtesy of Wenders Images
For Wim Wenders, who wrote his first film review before he wrote his first film, writing remains an important part of creative work to this day: “Only when I am writing can I think things through to the end,” he says. On 7 November 2025 the director, photographer and author will read from his new book “Wesentliches” (“Essentials”) at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele.
Even at the age of 80, the creator of film classics such as “Paris, Texas” and “Wings of Desire”, of Oscar-nominated documentaries such as “Buena Vista Social Club”, “Pina” and “The Salt of the Earth” and, most recently, the acclaimed feature “Perfect Days” remains a searcher. Indeed, searching is characteristic of Wim Wenders’ work overall. However, his creative work has several essential features – and this is what his new book is about. “Wesentliches” brings together four autobiographical texts: about music as an elixir of survival and how it plays an active role in his films, about framing as a key element of his working philosophy, about the affectionate gaze as a precept for getting to the heart of the nature of his characters and, finally, about knowing that he is a “practising romantic”.
With
Wim Wenders – Author
Annette Reschke – Publisher
Produced by the Berliner Festspiele in co-operation with the Verlag der Autoren and the international literature festival berlin
Bookshop Partner: Dussmann das KulturKaufhaus