German director Wim Wenders clarifies his views on the relationship between filmmaking and politics after remarks earlier this year sparked an outcry at the Berlin film festival. Speaking in Venice, where he presents a new film about Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, Wenders says he was misunderstood.
According to reports, Wenders addressed the issue after controversial comments made at Berlin, where he served as jury president. In those earlier remarks, he warned that films “dedicatedly political” could “enter the field of politics,” prompting criticism and debate about whether he advocated for artists to avoid political engagement.
In the later clarification at Venice, Wenders says he does not believe filmmakers should stay out of politics altogether. Instead, he presents his stance as a misunderstanding of what he meant earlier regarding the boundary between creative work and political involvement. The outlets agree that the controversy centers on his attempt to define that relationship, but they differ in emphasis: one focuses on the claim that he was misread, while the other foregrounds his statement rejecting the idea that filmmakers should be completely apolitical.
