An eminent figure in the 'New German Cinema' era, Wim Wenders is an author, filmmaker, and a playwright. He made his directorial debut in 1970 with Summer in the City. After that, he directed The Scarlet Letter (1973) which was adapted from the novel by the same name. He then went on to make his first trilogy, Alice in the Cities (1974), The Wrong Move (1975), and Kings of the Road, all based on road movies. In all these movies, the cinematography was one of the talking points which is considered as the result of his long-term collaboration with the gifted Dutch cinematographer Robby Muller. The 1980s saw some of his best works, namely Paris, Texas (1984) and Wings of Desire (1987).

Wenders has also directed few highly acclaimed documentaries. He was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature - Buena Vista Social Club (1999), Pina (2011), and The Salt of the Earth (2014). Wenders has contributed his expertise in several film-related institutions. He is a member of the advisory board of the World Cinema Foundation and has been the president of the European Film Academy since 1996. He also serves as a Jury member for the digital studio Filmaka. Some of his other known works are Faraway, So Close! (1993), Beyond the Clouds (1995), The End of Violence (1997), The Million Dollar Hotel (2000), Land of Plenty (2004), Every Thing Will Be Fine (2015), and Submergence (2018).