Veteran German director Wim Wenders has clarified his views on the relationship between cinema and politics at the Venice film festival. He stated that he does not believe film-makers ought to stay out of politics altogether, addressing comments made earlier this year that caused controversy.
During the Berlin film festival, where he served as jury president, Wenders had previously said that "we have to stay out of politics because if we make movies that are dedicatedly political, we enter the field of politics." These remarks drew attention amid criticism of the German government's support for Israel and led to some fellow film-makers, including Indian author Arundhati Roy, expressing their disapproval.
When asked to elaborate in Venice, Wenders explained he could repeat his earlier statement but wished to be more explicit. He clarified that film-makers, unlike politicians, operate with empathy. "Politics work without empathy; that’s all I said," Wenders stated, adding that film-makers aim to change things, while politics are "into confirming what is."
Wenders, who was at the Lido to present a documentary about Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, further elaborated that the mindset of film-makers is different from that of politicians. He asserted that film-makers are "the antidote" and do the opposite of staying out of politics.