Anselm | Wim Wenders 3D documentary

[BluBonnet]

Wim Wenders Doc ‘Anselm’ Secures U.S. Distribution Via Sideshow & Janus Films

Sideshow and Janus Films have snapped up all US rights to Wim Wenders’ Cannes title Anselm, a 3D documentary about the celebrated contemporary artist Anselm Kiefer.

Anselm debuted as a Special Screening at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It was produced by Karsten Brünig for Road Movies and executive produced by Jeremy Thomas. HanWay repped on sales. Sideshow and Janus Films have said they are planning a theatrical release following fall festivals.

The acquisition re-teams HanWay and Jeremy Thomas with Sideshow and Janus Films after they collaborated on Jerzy Skolimowskli’s EO, which was nominated for the Best International Feature Film Oscar. Attending their third Cannes since launching their partnership in 2021, Wenders’ Anselm is Sideshow and Janus Films’ third pick-up from this year’s festival. Past acquisitions include Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Oscar-winning Drive My Car. Sideshow and Janus Films previously announced deals on Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s About Dy Grasses, which won the Best Actress Prize at Cannes, and Catherine Breillat’s Last Summer, her first film in a decade.

In addition to the U.S. acquisition deal, HanWay has secured distribution on Anselm in the following territories: 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 NonStop releasing in Scandinavia, Iceland, and the Baltics.

“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,” Wenders said. “I think we stretched the possibilities of 3D into unknown territory. So, you can imagine how happy I am to be working again with my good friends at Sideshow and Janus Films.“

Sideshow and Janus Films added: “Wim Wenders recently remarked, ‘There are 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.”

Anselm was Wenders’ second film at Cannes this year. His latest fiction piece, Perfect Days, screened in competition and won Best Actor for Koji Yakusho.