Wim Wenders’ latest documentary, Anselm, has found a home. Sideshow and Janus Films picked up U.S. rights to Wenders’ acclaimed documentary. The news was announced today via a release. Anselm marks the director’s return to 3D non-fiction after his Oscar-nominated Pina proved a game-changer for the form with its dynamic look at the work of choreographer Pina Bausch.
In his latest doc, Wenders harnesses the power of 3D to explore the scale and details of the work by contemporary artist Anselm Kiefer. Shot in 6K, the doc promises to be one of the big screen events for documentary this year. Anselm is produced by Karsten Brünig with Franz Lustig on cinematography. HanWay negotiated the deal behalf of the filmmakers. Anselm will see a theatrical rollout following a run at fall festivals.
“Anselm was a labor of love and turned out to take seven shooting periods and altogether three years to become a film like nothing I’ve ever done before,” said Wenders in a statement. “I think we stretched the possibilities of 3D into an unknown territory. So, you can imagine how happy I am to be working again with my good friends at Sideshow and Janus Films.”
Anselm premiered in the Special Screenings program at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Wenders was one of two filmmakers at Cannes with a pair of films in the official selection. His drama Perfect Days, played in the main competition where it com Best Actor for Koji Yakusho.
“The sheer scale of everything lets the 3D truly come to the fore, providing the illusion of visiting these spaces in a far superior way compared to a simple two-dimensional shot,” remarked Jason Gorber while reviewing Anselm at Cannes. “While Pina is the obvious progenitor, Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams also provides a touchstone case for how experiencing artistic spaces through 3D cinema approximates the experience of being there oneself with the added benefit of creative use of montage, score, lighting, etc. The sense of being there, but having a better experience than actually being there, bubbles away at the heart of Wenders’ latest film.”
Additional territories secured for Anselm include France (Films Du Losange), Germany (DCM), Benelux (Cherry Pickers), Greece (The Film Group), Italy (Lucky Red), Spain (A Contracorriente), Portugal (Alambique), Poland (New Horizons), Australia and New Zealand (Madman), China (DDDream), and Scandinavia, Iceland and the Baltics (NonStop).
