Wim Wenders’ Cannes-Bowing Doc ‘Anselm’ Picked Up for U.S. by Sideshow and Janus

Anselm, Wim Wenders’ doc on contemporary artist Anselm Kiefer that premiered this year at Cannes (one of two films the auteur had at the festival, alongside Perfect Days), has found a home in the U.S.

Sideshow and Janus Films have acquired the critically acclaimed feature, which Wenders shot at 6K resolution and in the 3D format he utilized in his Oscar-nominated Pina. The film — which bowed as a special screening in Cannes — is produced by Karsten Brünig for Road Movies and executive produced by Jeremy Thomas.

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Sideshow and Janus Films are planning a theatrical release following fall festivals.

Anselm, which Wenders shot over the course of two years, dives deep into Kiefer’s work and reveals his life path, inspiration and creative process. 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 his remarkable world.

“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. “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.”

The acquisition reteams HanWay and Thomas with Sideshow and Janus Films after their collaboration on Jerzy Skolimowski’s EO, which was Oscar nominated for best international feature film and was one of the highest grossing international films in North America in 2022. Attending their third Cannes since launching in their partnership in 2021, Anselm marks Sideshow and Janus Films’ third pickup from this year’s festival following acquisitions of Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s About Dry Grasses, which won the best actress prize for Merve Dizdar, and Catherine Breillat’s Last Summer, her first film in a decade.

“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,’” said Sideshow and Janus Films. “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.”

In addition to the U.S., HanWay has secured Anselm distribution deal 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.

The deal was negotiated by HanWay on behalf of the filmmakers with Sideshow and Janus Films.

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