Wim Wenders withdraws film "The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick" and apologizes to Nastassja Kinski

At the same time, the 80-year-old director addressed the now 65-year-old actress in a personal statement. Wenders admitted that he, as the only one of those responsible at the time who is still alive, recognizes that Kinski "should have been better protected back then." He added verbatim: "For that, I ask for your forgiveness, Nastassja, without any ifs or buts."

Withdrawal and Apology

The foundation also announced that the film would not be released again "until we have been able to present an amicable solution, also in consultation with Nastassja Kinski." The search for such a solution should also be allowed to take longer. A "broad exchange on how to deal with controversial film works from the 20th century" is planned with the German Film Academy, the DFF – German Film Institute & Film Museum, and other film heritage institutions.

The trigger for the current turn of events was a speech Wenders gave on May 29, 2026, at the German Film Awards ceremony in Berlin. The director, who received an honorary award for his life's work that evening, had expanded the controversy surrounding the scene into a fundamental question about how to deal with film heritage. "How do we deal with film heritage? May we, can we, should we perhaps cut a scene if, in this case, it hurts one of my actresses, whom I have greatly admired and still admire?" Wenders asked on stage.

Background: Gala Speech at the German Film Awards

In his acceptance speech, Wenders also expressed understanding for his younger self: "I cannot blame the young man, 29 years old, from 50 years ago. He made a film in his time, he somehow wanted to capture the zeitgeist." He "never wanted to do anything other than make films that capture the zeitgeist," Wenders continued. The gala speech did not contain a direct apology to Kinski.

This reaction followed an interview Kinski had given to the "Süddeutsche Zeitung." The actress described how, as a 13-year-old, she "already noticed that it wasn't right," even though she "didn't know that much yet." In English, she told the newspaper: "That was my first film, he was my first director and he didn't protect me." The scene shows Kinski's character, a mute teenage acrobat, topless in a bedroom while the main character Wilhelm, played by Rüdiger Vogler, who was 33 years old at the time, enters the room.

Kinski's Perspective

Following Wenders' gala appearance, Kinski addressed the public via her Instagram account, confirmed by her agency. She wrote that she had remained "silent and patient for a long time," expecting "a fair dialogue" with the director, but he had "not taken her seriously." Wenders had shirked his responsibility, she accused.

Kinski's lawyer, Christian Schertz, welcomed his client's latest statement but simultaneously called it "long overdue." "I also regret that this only happened as a result of public pressure," Schertz said. He also announced that he would wait to see what the concrete offer of conversation entails: "Furthermore, one must of course wait and see what the offer of conversation specifically entails." Previously, according to news agencies, Schertz had already indicated the possibility of formal legal action.

Legal and Lawyerly Reactions

Wenders stated that he had "for years" refused a personal conversation with Kinski about the scene. Now he explained that the reactions, suggestions, and conversations of the past few days had "significantly contributed to further sharpening my view of the events at the time. For that, I am grateful." He added that he "would never do that again today."

Film scholar Annette Brauerhoch was critical of Wenders' approach in an interview with Deutschlandfunk Kultur. She said the director had "distributed the responsibility, which actually lies with him, to thousands with this appeal to the public and the academy." At the same time, she argued against simply cutting the scene: one would be altering "a historical document," because Wenders' film is "proof of how strongly film history has been shaped by sexist structures." One can "invoke and quote the zeitgeist, but not apologize with it."

Criticism from Film Studies and the Press

The case also triggered strong reactions in the national press. Michael Hanfeld wrote in the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung": "This is not about freedom of art and opinion, nor about film heritage (...). This is about the fact that a thirteen-year-old child is sexualized and dragged in front of the camera naked. That was wrong in 1974, and it would be wrong today." Claudia Tieschky wrote in the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" that Wenders' appearance was "nothing less than a director feigning thoughtfulness while ducking his real responsibility."

There was also opposition from the acting profession. Rosalie Thomass called the gala speech "shameful." Karoline Herfurth said she wished Wenders had "publicly admitted to not adequately protecting a 13-year-old child." Clemens Schick criticized that the director had "elevated the debate to an abstract level of censorship and film heritage." Lavinia Wilson, on the other hand, welcomed the fact that Wenders had made the issue public and wished for "a thorough debate."

Feminist Alice Schwarzer, who was born in the same year as Wenders, demanded in a contribution for "Emma" magazine: "Wim: Stop talking – and act! Finally cut those damn two minutes out of your film!" In his gala speech, Wenders had explicitly addressed other directors and called on the German Film Academy to discuss the subsequent handling of controversial film works.

Statements from the Acting Profession

The German Film Academy announced that it intends to hold such a discussion. Co-presidents Vicky Krieps and Florian Gallenberger stated that the question raised by Wenders touches upon legal, ethical, artistic, and cultural dimensions equally and should be addressed "jointly and with nuance."

The case is part of a series of similar disputes over film scenes involving minors. Kinski had already insisted on the withdrawal of corresponding scenes in relation to the "Tatort: Reifezeugnis" from 1977, in which she played a student having an affair with her teacher at the age of 15. The broadcaster NDR reached a settlement with Kinski's lawyer Christian Schertz, as Schertz confirmed, without disclosing details. Director Wolfgang Petersen had already passed away by this time.

Comparable Cases and Today's Protection Rules

International comparable cases are also present in the discussion: In Louis Malle's "Pretty Baby" (1978), the then 12-year-old Brooke Shields played a minor prostitute with nude scenes, and in "The Blue Lagoon" (1980), Shields was 14 years old. Actresses Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, who filmed nude scenes in Franco Zeffirelli's "Romeo and Juliet" in 1968 at the ages of 15 and 16, filed a $500 million lawsuit against Paramount Pictures in October 2024, which was dismissed in the same month.

The background to the debate is also a changed child and youth protection on film sets. Today, strict protection rules apply to productions with underage actors, including the presence of guardians and explicit parental consent. Specially trained intimacy coordinators accompany sensitive scenes with minors.

Wenders himself, with works such as "Wings of Desire," "Buena Vista Social Club," "Perfect Days," and "Paris, Texas," is among the internationally best-known German filmmakers. After "The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick," he worked with Kinski again in "Paris, Texas" (1984) and "Faraway, So Close!" (1993). The foundation plans, according to its own statements, to seek dialogue with other institutions and "cross-generational groups" before a decision is made about the film's future.

The reporting