As a gamer who has lived through the evolution of German cinema, I can confidentially say that Wolfgang Becker was not just another director; he was a pioneer and a game-changer. His work breathed new life into the industry, much like how a well-timed power-up can turn the tide in a game.
German filmmaker Wolfgang Becker, who gained global acclaim with his reunification comedy “Good Bye, Lenin!”, and catapulted then-unknown Daniel Brühl to stardom, has passed away at the age of 70. The news was confirmed by his family on Friday, revealing that he succumbed to a severe illness.
Born in Hemer, which was part of West Germany at the time, Becker pursued his film studies in Berlin. His student project, titled “Butterflies“, based on a short story penned by Ian McEwan, garnered him the student Academy Award.
In 1994, Wolfgang Becker established Berlin-based production company X Filme Creative Pool alongside his director companions Tom Tykwer, Dani Levy, and Stefan Arndt. His debut film with X Filme, “Life is all You Get” (Das Leben ist eine Baustelle) in 1997, served as his commercial breakthrough. The movie premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and garnered three German film awards. X Filme played a significant role in rejuvenating the German cinema scene during the late 90s and early 2000s with productions such as Tykwer’s “Run Lola Run” (1998) and Levy’s “Go for Zucker!“.
However, it was Becker’s subsequent film, “Goodbye, Lenin!”, that became the largest success for the company in Germany. This dramedy featured Katrin Sass as a fervent socialist with a fragile heart who fell into a coma in October 1989, just before the Berlin Wall collapsed. She missed the German reunification entirely and, upon waking, her son (Brühl) chose to conceal the truth from her to prevent a shock that could prove fatal. He devised an intricate plan, including repackaging new Western foods in old East German jars and having a friend tape fake news broadcasts, to make his mother believe that nothing had changed.
The movie achieved phenomenal success both in Germany and globally, being sold to over 60 countries worldwide and earning approximately $80 million in total. It dominated the German Film Awards, winning nine Lolas, and garnered six awards at the European Film Awards, including the title of best film. Additionally, it received accolades at France’s Cesars, Spain’s Goyas, Italy’s David di Donatello Awards, was nominated for a BAFTA, and contended for the Golden Globe Award in the category of best international feature.
Brühl and Becker came together again for the 2015 movie titled “I And Kaminski“, which was a comedic critique of the art world, based on Daniel Kehlmann’s book. Just before his passing, Becker finished his last film, “The Hero of Friedrichstrasse Station” (Der Held vom Bahnhof Friedrichstrasse), a true-life drama about an East German signalman who assisted over 100 people in escaping the GDR by using his station in East Berlin.
Apart from his roles as an author and filmmaker, Becker also served as a professor at the German Film and TV Academy in Berlin, the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg, and the Academy of Media Arts Cologne.
The creators of X Film, Stefan Arndt, Dani Levy, and Tom Tykwer, honored Becker by describing him as an “exceptional friend and partner,” expressing that his “affection, courage, and imagination will forever be yearned for.
Becker is survived by his wife Susanne and their daughter Rike.
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2024-12-13 19:24