Wim Wenders withdraws "Wrong Movement" and apologizes to Nastassja Kinski

Withdrawal and Instruction to Distribution Partners

The dispute escalated on May 29, 2026, at the German Film Awards in Berlin. Wenders received the Honorary Award for his life's work there and used his acceptance speech to raise the fundamental question: "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? Can a film be shortened retrospectively?" He appealed to the German Film Academy to initiate a debate on how to handle controversial works from the 20th century.

In the same speech, Wenders said he made the film as a "29-year-old young man from 50 years ago": "I cannot blame the young man, 29 years old, from 50 years ago. He made a film in his time, he wanted to capture the zeitgeist somehow." At the same time, he announced that he would "never do such a scene again today."

Reactions to the Gala Speech

The reactions to his appearance were largely critical. Film scholar Annette Brauerhoch told Deutschlandfunk Kultur that with his appeal to the audience and the academy, Wenders had "distributed the responsibility among thousands," when it actually lay with him. FAZ critic Michael Hanfeld stated: "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 naked in front of the camera. That was wrong in 1974, and it would be wrong today."

Süddeutsche Zeitung columnist Claudia Tieschky accused Wenders of having "fled into an imagined victimhood against some culture-threatening censorship machine." Actress Rosalie Thomass called the speech "shameful," and her colleague Karoline Herfurth regretted that Wenders had not publicly admitted to not adequately protecting a 13-year-old child. Actor Clemens Schick criticized that Wenders had elevated the debate to an abstract level of censorship and film heritage.

Legal Pressure and Public Criticism

Feminist Alice Schwarzer, 83, also demanded in the magazine "Emma," which she founded: "Wim: Stop talking – and act! Finally cut those damn two minutes out of your film!" She was one of the first voices to demand concrete action rather than further words.

Kinski's lawyer, Christian Schertz, then announced formal legal steps and criticized that Wenders had refused a personal conversation with Kinski about the scene for years. Wenders' appearance at the Film Awards, he said, was an attempt to evade personal responsibility.

The Apology in Full

In a statement published on Wednesday, Wenders made a U-turn. Addressing Kinski, he wrote: "As the only one of those responsible at the time for 'Wrong Movement' who is still here, I see that Nastassja Kinski should have been better protected back then. For this, I ask for your forgiveness, Nastassja, without any ifs or buts." He added: "The many reactions, suggestions, and conversations of the past few days have significantly helped to further sharpen my perspective on the events of that time. For this, I am grateful."

The foundation stated that the film will only be re-released "after we have been able to present an agreed-upon solution, also in consultation with Nastassja Kinski." Wenders announced a "broad exchange on how to deal with controversial film works from the 20th century," including with the German Film Academy, the DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum, and other film heritage institutions, as well as with intergenerational groups.

According to her own account, Kinski had asked Wenders for years to remove the scene. In an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung, she said: "Although I didn't know much at 13, I already realized that this was not okay." She also stated: "That was my first film, he was my first director and he didn't protect me." Kinski, daughter of actor Klaus Kinski, made her film debut in "Wrong Movement."

Debate on Cutting or Preservation

Wenders later worked with Kinski again on "Paris, Texas" (1984) and "Faraway, So Close!" (1993). Schertz welcomed Wenders' apology but called it "long overdue" and regretted that it had occurred "only as a result of public pressure." He added that it remains to be seen what the offer of discussion will concretely entail.

The German Film Academy, whose co-presidents are Vicky Krieps and Florian Gallenberger, announced its own event for September. A statement read: "The necessary substantive preparation for a well-founded exchange requires time and care, which is why we are planning an event on this in September." The co-presidents emphasized that the issue touches upon "legal, ethical, artistic, and cultural dimensions equally."

Film scholar Brauerhoch, who fundamentally welcomes the withdrawal of the film, simultaneously argued against cutting the scene retrospectively. Such an intervention would alter a "historical document." However, it could have a signaling effect: "Actresses are central participants in a film and deserve more say."

Comparable Cases and Today's Protection Rules

The case is part of a series of comparable disputes. In Franco Zeffirelli's "Romeo and Juliet" (1968), Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting were 15 and 16 years old and appeared in a nude scene; they sued Paramount Pictures for $500 million – the court dismissed the lawsuit in October 2024. Brooke Shields was 14 when she appeared in nude and intimate scenes alongside the 18-year-old Christopher Atkins in "The Blue Lagoon" in 1980, and later recalled an uncomfortable and pressured working environment.

In German film history, Kinski had already clashed over a nude scene in the "Tatort" film "Reifezeugnis" in 1977. Her lawyer Schertz confirmed that an agreement was reached with NDR at the time, without providing details.

Today, strict protection rules apply to productions with underage actresses and actors: the presence of guardians on set, explicit parental consent, and the use of specially trained intimacy coordinators for sensitive scenes. The discussion about "Wrong Movement" thus falls into a time when the industry has developed binding standards against which productions from the 1970s are measured.

In his speech, Wenders also referred to the earlier dispute over Steven Spielberg's "E.T.," which was retrospectively altered for a юбилей edition in 2002 – weapons in the hands of federal agents were replaced with walkie-talkies. Spielberg himself stated in 2023 that this was a mistake: "It was a mistake. I should never have done that. 'E.T.' is a product of its time. No film should be changed because of the perspectives through which we view the world today, voluntarily or involuntarily."