Wim Wenders is set to be honoured by the German Film Academy with a 'Lifetime Achievement Award', after emerging from his controversy at Berlinale.
The news was announced on March 24th, with Wenders set to receive the honour at the German Film Awards, being held in Berlin on May 29th.
In a statement, the Academy's president, Florian Gallenberger, said (via The Hollywood Reporter) that the director was "an absolutely unique filmmaker [who] has been an icon of world cinema for over five decades."
The award is being seen as a show of strength towards Wenders from Germany's filmmaking elite, a month after he came under fire at Berlin Film Festival for saying films should "stay out of politics".
Answering questions from journalists at the opening conference on February 4th, the panel were asked about their support for the event being funded by the German government, when it is regarded as being complicit with Israel.
Wenders, who was serving as the jury president, said in response: "We have to stay out of politics because if we make movies that are decidedly political, we enter the field of politics," before adding, "But we are the counterweight of politics, we are the opposite of politics. We have to do the work of people, not the work of politicians."
This subsequently sparked major outcry that largely overshadowed the rest of the festival, with author Arundhati Roy pulling out of her appearance over the "jaw-dropping" comments.
It also placed severe pressure on Tricia Tuttle, the director of Berlinale, who was reportedly threatened with losing her position over the festival's response and handling of the incident.
She ultimately retained her role, but it came after an open letter, with signatories including Tilda Swinton and Javier Bardem, was published. It said, in part, that the actors: "expect the institutions in our industry to refuse complicity in the terrible violence that continues to be waged against Palestinians".
