Wim Wenders Named President of Berlin Film Festival Jury

Legendary German director Wim Wenders will head up the international jury of the 76th Berlinale.

The 80-year-old filmmaker, known for Wings of Desire, Paris Texas and Pina, is enjoying a late career revival with the Oscar-nominated Perfect Days (2023) and the 3D documentary Anselm (2023) about the artist Anselm Kiefer.

“Wim Wenders is one of the most influential voices in international cinema,” said Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle in a statement. “For six decades, he has made films that move and delight us with their humanity and sense of wonder. His insatiable curiosity and deep mastery of film language are evident in every work, whether he is exploring the gifts of other artists or illuminating our own search for meaning and connection. To say we are proud of this homegrown polymath is an understatement, and we cannot wait to see where jury president Wim Wenders leads our jury in picking the Golden and Silver Bear winners of the 76th Berlinale.”

“It never hit me to even remotely think about being jury president in my hometown,” said Wenders. “Until Tricia Tuttle asked me. And then I realized: Wow! That’ll be a whole new way to see films at the Berlinale, for once, watch each and every one in the Competition and discuss them all in-depth with a group of intelligent and movie-loving people. How good can it get? I’m grateful to Tricia for inviting me to this rare experience.”

Famed as a pioneer of the New German Cinema movement, Wenders co-founded the artist-run production and distribution company Filmverlag der Autoren in 1971 and in 2003, he was one of the founding members of the German Film Academy. Wenders is also a co-founder of the European Film Academy and served as its president for more than two decades. With his foundation — the Wim Wenders Stiftung — he is committed to supporting film heritage, as well as the next generation of filmmakers and film education.

Wenders has long been closely connected to the Berlinale, opening the festival with Pina in 2011, The Million Dollar Hotel in 2000, and the 3D feature Everything Will Be Fine in 2015, and presenting numerous works in the festival program over the decades.

In 2015, he was honored with the Berlinale’s Honorary Golden Bear for his outstanding achievements in film and cinema.

The 76th Berlinale runs Feb. 12-22, 2026. The international jury will announce the Golden and Silver Bears winners Feb. 21.