German filmmaker Wim Wenders's debut India visit to kick-off with a film festival in Mumbai

Film Heritage Foundation founder Shivendra Singh Dungarpur discusses what will transpire in German filmmaker Wim Wenders’ upcoming India tour that celebrates his work

Wim Wenders—King of the Road—The India Tour will bring the German filmmaker, 79, to the country for the first time for 25 days. Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, the founder of the Film Heritage Foundation that has organised a retrospective that will feature 18 films of the veteran filmmaker, reveals that the tour will kick off in Mumbai over a five-day leg. 

“He will be here from [February] 5 to 9, and we plan to show his films at Regal [Cinemas] and Metro. There are two films that are in 3D, Pina [2011] and Anselmo [2023]. They will be shown in Metro. On the 6th, there will also be a talk by him at NCPA, a masterclass of sorts. There will also be a filmmakers’ forum, where top filmmakers will meet him,” says Dungarpur, further sharing the influence that “one of the greatest masters” has had on his life. 

“Many of his films are cult films. He has influenced a whole generation of filmmakers [and has created] everything, from documentaries to fiction. I made a film called CzechMate (2018), and before that, I made another called Celluloid Man (2012). Those films were deeply influenced by Wim Wenders, and I have always wanted to do something with him. He has been aware of the work that the Film Heritage Foundation has been doing and has also restored all his films.” Long considered the man who pioneered the genre of road films, Wenders will travel across five Indian cities—Mumbai, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram, Kolkata, and New Delhi. 

“Since this is his inaugural visit to India, the idea was to travel together and see what happens. His last film, Perfect Days, also emerged out of [similar travels]. He had travelled to Japan, and [that film] was nominated for the Oscar. So, something might emerge from here as well. I feel, [he agreed to come to India this time because of] the value he sets in the foundation and the respect he has for [our] work. [A lot] emerges from his journeys and the roads [he travels]. He has made films all over the world. And maybe this trip will help him explore India. With a country as diverse as ours, his films [could] begin to have the flavour of what India represents. To travel with him for 25 days [will be interesting].”

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