Editing Wim Wenders (section)

=== 1970–1976: Film debut and early work ===
Wenders's career began in the late 1960s, the [[New German Cinema]] era.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dollar |first=Steve |date=29 November 2023 |title=Wim Wenders' new films explore the 'poetic medium' of 3-D and Tokyo toilets |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2023-11-29/wim-wenders-perfect-days-anselm-documentary-3d |access-date=15 January 2024 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> Much of the distinctive [[cinematography]] in his movies is the result of a long-term collaboration with Dutch cinematographer [[Robby Müller]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Robby Müller Retrospective|url=https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/4100-a-robby-m-ller-retrospective|access-date=1 February 2021|website=The Criterion Collection|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Fox|first=Killian|date=22 June 2019|title=The private Polaroids of a celebrated cinematographer|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/jun/22/private-polaroids-robby-muller-cinematographer-arles-like-sunlight-coming-through-clouds|access-date=1 February 2021|issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Unseen Polaroids by Robby Müller: the legendary cinematographer and Wim Wenders collaborator|url=https://hero-magazine.com/article/151941/robby-muller-unseen-polaroids/|access-date=1 February 2021|website=HERO magazine|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=5 July 2018|title=Wim Wenders Pays Tribute to 'Paris, Texas' Cinematographer Robby Muller|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/wim-wenders-pays-tribute-paris-texas-cinematographer-robby-muller-1125126|access-date=1 February 2021|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en}}</ref> Wenders made his directorial film debut with ''[[Summer in the City (film)|Summer in the City]]'' (1970), his graduation project at the [[University of Television and Film Munich]], which he attended from 1967 to 1970. Shot in [[16 mm film|16 mm]] black-and-white by Müller, the movie exhibited many of Wenders's later trademark themes of aimless searching, running from invisible demons, and persistent wandering toward an indeterminate goal. Protagonist Hans (Zischler) is released from prison, and after searching through seedy [[West Germany|West German]] streets and bars, he visits an old friend in Berlin.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}

Wenders then directed ''[[The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty]]'', titled ''The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick'' in the United States. The film was adapted from [[Peter Handke]]'s [[The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick|1970 short novel]]. He then directed the period drama ''[[The Scarlet Letter (1973 film)|The Scarlet Letter]]'' (1973), adapted from [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]]'s [[The Scarlet Letter|1850 novel of the same name]]. From 1974 to 1976 Wender directed the [[Road Movie trilogy]]. The first film in the trilogy was ''[[Alice in the Cities]]'' (1974), which was shot in 16mm. The last two films are ''[[The Wrong Move]]'' (1975) and ''[[Kings of the Road]]'' (1976), the latter of which won the [[International Federation of Film Critics|FIPRESCI Prize]] at the [[1976 Cannes Film Festival]].{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}