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Wim Wenders

Filmmaker

German·b. 1945

Known for:

Paris, Texas (1984), Wings of Desire (1987)

Education:

University of Television and Film Munich (HFF, 1967-1970)

Wim Wenders emerged from the New German Cinema of the 1970s and developed a practice centered on road-film portraiture and a preoccupation with American popular culture and landscape. Paris, Texas (1984) won the Palme d'Or at Cannes; Wings of Desire (1987) was among the most acclaimed European films of the decade. His documentary Buena Vista Social Club (1999) introduced Cuban son music to a worldwide audience.

Wim Wenders's Gear List(3)

Sony Venice 2

Sony

Connection Source

ShotonwhatWebsite

Connection note

Perfect Days (2023) shot on Sony CineAlta Venice 2 (DP: Franz Lustig)

Product description

Full-frame digital cinema camera with a dual base ISO (800/3200) sensor capable of 8.6K recording. Uses an interchangeable sensor block design and supports X-OCN recording to AXS cards. Successor to the original Venice, with a smaller body and improved low-light performance.

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Last updated March 20, 2026

Connection note

Wenders used the Aaton XTR Prod for Paris, Texas (1984) and Wings of Desire (1987); his cinematographer Robby Müller has discussed the camera in interviews about their working method, noting its quietness and ergonomics as central to their handheld location approach.

Product description

The Aaton XTR Prod is a 16mm film camera designed to rest on the shoulder with a balance that mimics the weight of a human head, making sustained handheld operation natural. Its quiet motor and ergonomic design made it the preferred camera of documentary and New Wave filmmakers working in the 1970s and 1980s. Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, and Agnès Varda were among its proponents.

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Arriflex 35 BL

ARRI

Connection Source

ThedigitalbitsInterview

Connection note

Wenders used Arriflex cameras alongside Aaton for many of his productions; his cinematographer Robby Müller discussed their use of both systems in interviews.

Product description

The Arriflex 35 BL (Blimped Lightweight), introduced in 1972, was the first self-blimped 35mm motion picture camera quiet enough for sync-sound shooting without an external housing. Its mirror-reflex viewfinder and rugged construction made it a standard tool in European and independent filmmaking from the 1970s onward.