The Berlin International Film Festival announced that German director, screenwriter, and photographer Wim Wenders will serve as President of the International Jury of its 76th edition, to be held from February 12 to 22, 2026. The filmmaker will head the jury responsible for awarding the Golden Bear and the Silver Bears at the second edition of the festival under the artistic direction of Tricia Tuttle.

A central figure in world cinema for more than six decades, Wenders assumes the role with an exceptional artistic legacy and a deep connection to both German and international film culture. “Wim Wenders is one of the most influential voices in international cinema. For sixty years he has made films that move us and fill us with wonder through their humanity and sense of awe,” said Tuttle, who also highlighted his insatiable curiosity and mastery of cinematic language. “We are immensely proud of this homegrown polymath and look forward to seeing where he leads the jury in choosing the winners of the Golden Bear and the Silver Bears of the 76th Berlinale.”

In accepting the invitation, Wenders acknowledged the special nature of the appointment, as it takes place in his hometown. “It had never even remotely occurred to me to think about being jury president in my own city until Tricia Tuttle suggested it. Then I thought, ‘Wow!’ It will be a completely new way of watching films at the Berlinale: for once, seeing all the Competition films and discussing them in depth with a group of intelligent people who love cinema. What more could one ask for?” the director said, expressing his gratitude for the opportunity to have this experience.

Wenders’ career, encompassing both fiction and documentary, has had a decisive influence on modern cinematic language. Emerging as one of the central figures of New German Cinema in the 1970s, he helped redefine the national film landscape with titles such as The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick (1972), Alice in the Cities (1974), Kings of the Road (1976), and The American Friend (1977), works that consolidated a contemplative, itinerant gaze that became his personal hallmark.

Over the decades, Wenders has remained a pioneering filmmaker with global recognition. Paris, Texas, winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 1984, and Wings of Desire rank among the great classics of contemporary cinema. His filmography also includes the ambitious science-fiction epic Until the End of the World (1991), its follow-up Faraway, So Close! (1993), and the celebrated music documentary Buena Vista Social Club (1999), which received an Academy Award nomination and the European Film Award for Best Documentary.

Always open to formal experimentation, the director has explored new dimensions of audiovisual language with 3D works such as Pina, which premiered in competition at the Berlinale and won the German Film Award for Best Documentary, and Anselm, a visually innovative portrait of artist Anselm Kiefer. More recently, Perfect Days earned an Academy Award nomination. In addition, Wenders is a co-founder of the European Film Academy and served as its president for more than twenty years.

The filmmaker’s relationship with the Berlinale is close and longstanding. Several of his films have premiered at the festival, including The Million Dollar Hotel and Every Thing Will Be Fine, and he was a key driving force behind the Berlinale Talent Campus, now known as Berlinale Talents. In 2015, the festival recognized his outstanding contribution to cinema by awarding him the Honorary Golden Bear.

The 76th Berlinale will conclude on February 22, 2026, with the Golden and Silver Bear awards ceremony scheduled for February 21.