Acclaimed German filmmaker awarded in Budapest

Acclaimed German filmmaker Wim Wenders accepted the International Federation of Film Archives’ (FIAF) 2024 award at a ceremony held in the Urania Cinema in Budapest on Thursday evening.

Opening the ceremony, Csaba Káel, the government film development commissioner, called Wenders a key figure of contemporary cinema, a filmmaker and photographer who worked to ensure that stories of the past should inspire future generations. He said the preservation of film heritage was not only a passion but a responsibility, too, “one of the keys to the sustainability of culture”.

Presenting the award, a pure silver film can, FIAF Secretary-General Tiago Baptista said he was honoured to present to Wenders the 2024 FIAF Award as an acknowledgment of his longstanding commitment to cinema and its history, and in recognition of his work for film art and the preservation of film heritage.

Photo: MTI

Wenders said he was honoured to receive the award, noting that he had spent much time in Cinematheque Francaise in Paris and several other similar film institutions around the world. “It is in these archives where the huge 20th century treasure we call cinema is being preserved and passed on to future generations.” Underscoring the importance of education, he said that “there is no better way to teach history than through the history of cinema.”

Wenders said that film, for him, was a complex language, a comprehensive form of art. He emphasised the importance of the preservation of cultural heritage and passing on the language of film, pointing out the responsibility of filmmakers to this end.

The event, organised as part of the ongoing Budapest Classics Film Marathon, concluded with a screening of the film A Trick of the Light (The Skladanowsky Brothers), Wim Wenders’ personal tribute to German film pioneers Max and Emil Skladanowsky. The restored film was accompanied by French composer Laurent Petitgand singing and performing music live on the piano, guitar, saxophone and harp.

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