Sideshow and Janus Films announced June 28 that they have acquired all U.S. rights to Wim Wenders’ Anselm, a documentary about the celebrated contemporary artist Anselm Kiefer. Shot at 6K resolution and returning to the 3D format that Wenders effectively deployed in his Academy Award® nominated documentary Pina, Anselm had its world premiere as a Special Screening at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
The film is produced by Karsten Brünig for Road Movies and exec-produced by Jeremy Thomas. Sideshow and Janus Films are planning a theatrical release following the autumn festivals. See Business Doc Europe review and Wim Wenders interview .
“This unique cinematic experience dives deep into an artist’s work and reveals his life path, inspiration, and creative process,” say Sideshow and Janus Films. It explores his fascination with myth and history. Past and present are interwoven to diffuse the line between film and painting, allowing the audience to be completely immersed in the remarkable world of one of the greatest contemporary artists, Anselm Kiefer. Wim Wenders shot the work over the course of two years.
The acquisition re-teams HanWay and Jeremy Thomas with Sideshow and Janus Films after their collaboration on Jerzy Skolimowskli’s EO, which was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best International Feature Film and was one of the highest grossing international films in North America in 2022.
Sideshow and Janus Films said: “Wim Wenders recently remarked, ‘There’s not many adventures left on Earth, but the human mind is a great adventure, and artists are some of the most adventurous people on the planet.’ When we saw Anselm at Cannes, we were transported by this visionary portrait of a once in a generation artist from a once in a generation filmmaker. We are so happy to continue our relationship with Wim Wenders and to bring his exquisite and personal film to theaters around the country.”
Wim Wenders added, “Anselm was a labour 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. 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.”
In addition to the U.S. acquisition deal, HanWay has secured Anselm distribution in the following territories: France with Films Du Losange, Germany with DCM, Benelux with Cherry Pickers, Greece with The Film Group, Italy with Lucky Red, Spain with A Contracorriente, Portugal with Alambique, Poland with New Horizons, Australia and New Zealand with Madman, China with DDDream and NonStop releasing in Scandinavia, Iceland and the Baltics.
